Feet First: Resurrection
by M306117
Summary: After becoming tied to the planet of Equestria, Fletcher becomes a weapon of war for the Princesses. After crippling the Griffin Army, he is forced to defend them and the Elements from an underground cult that threatens to destabilise the planet.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter One

Fletcher stretched out in his bed, throwing off the covers and sitting up. The clock on his bedside table read six in the morning. About his usual wake up time. The sun began the creep in through his window and illuminated the inside of his room. It was sparsely furnished and the only thing in it was a stand for his armour and weapons. Fletcher sighed as he got up. This was the third week he'd awoken here, the third week since he had died and come back to life. This was the third week since he had been bound to the planet of Equestria. And the ninth or so since he had seen his family. Dark thoughts bubbled to the surface. Did they even know he was gone? Probably. Two whole months is a long time to be missing. Or had Moore altered their memories and he was just a repressed memory? But he had never asked. Moore had promised to return him home, and when that was no longer an option, she gave him some things as a sign of apology before leaving him. Alone. On a planet full of ponies.

'Aren't I lucky?' he muttered to no one in particular. Shaking these thought from his head, Fletcher rose and began to put his armour on. It would usually take him around ten minutes to fully put the armour on but he dawdled, taking an hour instead. Outside the sun rose higher as more people woke up and went about their daily lives. The armour fully in place, Fletcher now decided which weapon to take with him today. Before Moore had left, she had given him a wish list of every weapon he could ever want. From shotguns and SMGs to the mighty rocket launcher, his house had them. He eventually settled on the MA5K, a weapon he had the most practise with and backed it up with the pistol he'd had even longer. Now ready to face whatever life could throw at him, Fletcher stepped out of his house and into the outside world.

Ponies greeted him as he walked past. They had accepted him pretty quickly when he had first arrived all those weeks ago, even if it was to fight of an adaptive alien lifeform, and had made him feel even more welcome when they learned he would be living here permanently. Pinkie had even thrown another party for him. Around him Ponyville was being rebuilt following its destruction. The priority had been given to the homes of the residents before turning the attention to the places of work. Skeletal structures of wood and hay dotted the area as life began again. Fletcher idly wandered through town. He had no real purpose; the princesses had yet to give him an assignment as part of his obligation to the House of the Demon. Fletcher smiled inwardly. The princesses had been uncertain about the name until he'd explained the reasoning behind it.

_I go out behind enemy lines to cause chaos and destruction, _he'd told them. _Why not call the house something that will inspire fear in them? _The two sisters had agreed and allowed it. He served both of them together, fulfilling needs the normal guards could not. In theory. So far no problems had arisen that needed his attention, though he had heard of growing tensions with the Kingdom of Griffins to the south. And what had happened to the cult the Gravemind has started? Fletcher shrugged. Whatever they threw at him he could handle. His feet took him down a well travelled path towards Sweet Apple Acres. The blast which had wiped out Ponyville had done nothing more to the farm than knock a few windows out and remove a few roof tiles. And since the library had been destroyed, Twilight Sparkle had chosen to move in with the father of her child permanently. She, or more specifically Spike her assistant, was Fletcher's only quick link to the princesses. He would make the journey every few days to see if anything turned up.

'Howdy, Michael.' Fletcher looked up, spotting Applejack hauling a cart out of the barn. To date, no one had ever called him by his last name. 'Come to check up on us?'

'Yeah.' He reached where Applejack had stopped and helped her load some apples into the back of the cart. 'How's everyone doing?'

'About usual. Twilight's feeling the effects of her kid and Big Mac is running himself ragged trying to please her current craving.' She hauled another basket of apples over. 'Applebloom stayed over at Sweetie Belle's last night and Granny Smith is dozing in her chair.'

'What crazy scheme did they come up with to find their marks this time?' Fletcher asked. Applejack thought about what Applebloom had yelled as she ran from the house yesterday.

'Oh, something about being ghost hunters.' She shook her head. 'Why those three refuse to see what's right in front of them, Ah'll never know.' Fletcher laughed a little.

'Maybe you should get them apart and talk to them about their hobbies. From what I hear, Sweetie Belle does a mean lullaby.' It was Applejack's turn to laugh.

'Ah reckon you're on to something there. Ah'll have a word with Rarity and Scootaloo's parents to see if we can do that.'

'Glad to help.' The farmhouse door swung open and Twilight walked out. She had put on some weight since Fletcher had first deduced she was pregnant, though whether this was from the baby or from her odd cravings he couldn't be sure. Spike followed, toasting some smores with his fire breath. Fletcher looked to Applejack.

'Yeah, she has a craving for smores today.' Twilight spotted the two and walked over to them.

'Hello Michael.' She still had some bags under her eyes but they were fainter than they had been a week ago. Spike offered her a smore which she happily ate.

'Morning. How's the baby?'

'Good. I think my body is getting used to it now. I haven't had to throw up that much lately.' Spike made a gagging sound. 'Oh Spike. It's a perfectly natural thing. And soon it'll stop completely.'

'Yeah, and then we'll have someone else throwing up in the night.' he groused. Applejack and Twilight exchanged a look before smiling a little.

'Any letters for me?'Fletcher asked, placing the last apple in the cart. Spike shook his head. 'Oh well. Here's to hoping.' He made an imaginary toast before downing it. The others shook their heads.

'Ah just can't imagine someone would actually wait for a letter sayin' they were needed to blow up something or whatever it is you do.' Applejack began hitching herself up to the cart.

'Well, being an ODST requires a certain mindset. And blowing stuff up is part of the job. Besides, I'm going a little stir crazy.'

'Huh. Well, good luck with that.' Applejack moved off. 'If ya'll are hungry, you know where to find me.' She left, leaving Fletcher, Twilight and Spike in the farmyard.

'So, how are you settling into life in Equestria?' Twilight asked. Fletcher shrugged. It wasn't home. But it was incredibly friendly. He only had to introduce himself to someone and they considered him a friend.

'Okay I guess. Not much for me to do really.' Diamond Dog attacks had stopped completely following the Battle of Ponyville as he thought of it, meaning he no longer had anything to do aside from keeping an eye out for trouble.

'Oh.' Twilight accepted another smore from Spike who began making another. 'I had a look into those duplication spells you asked about.'

'And?' She sent Spike back inside to retrieve one of the few books she had brought from Canterlot. He returned with a big leather bound book. Twilight took it off him with her magic.

'Well, it's an old spell, from before Starswirl the Bearded's time and it only works on inorganic items like rocks and metal.' She flicked to the relevant page and showed him a complex diagram he couldn't follow. 'But the duplicated item isn't exactly like the original item.'

'How different?'

'Cosmetic only. It was part of an attempt to reduce the amount of forgeries that could be made.' She turned more pages, pointing the history of the spell out.

'So, I could give you one of my magazines and it would be an exact copy, physically?' Twilight nodded. 'What kind of cosmetic differences?'

'I'm not sure. It varies from item to item.' Another page. 'Things like gems will be slightly off colour whilst metals will have odd streaks in them.'

'Is it a difficult spell to cast?' Fletcher didn't want to put any undue stress on her, concerned for the baby.

'No. Any unicorn can cast it if they know the spell. I've even tried it a few times on various things around the house.' Spike crossed his arms. 'Okay, a lot of things.'

'Care to show me?' Fletcher produced a spare clip of ammunition for his rifle and handed it to her. She accepted it and laid it on the ground. Her horn began to glow softly as the spell built. A brief flash of light later and there were two magazines where there had been one. Fletcher picked up the original and stowed it back on his armour. The clone remained on the ground. It looked the same. The metal was still grey but like Twilight had said, there were streaks in it. Would it be safe to fire? Fletcher ejected the magazine already in the rifle and swapped it for the duplicate. The ammunition counter registered there were thirty rounds. So far so good.

'Stand back, I'm going to try science.' Fletcher raised the rifle and aimed at a nearby tree that had long since died. He fired on fully automatic, emptying the magazine in five seconds. The silencer lessened its report to a barely noticeable phut and would go unnoticed in loud environments. The bolt cycled open as the last round was fired. Fletcher ejected the spent magazine and inserted an original.

'Well, it works with the rifle.' He began walking towards the tree. It was riddled with bullet holes and wood chips littered the floor. 'Yep. Those bullets are as lethal as the real thing.'

'Is there any reason you asked me to look into this kind of spell?' Twilight asked as he walked back. Fletcher nodded.

'Moore isn't coming back, and I have a limited supply of ammunition. But this way,' He waved at the book. 'I can have as much ammunition and spare parts as I need. Providing I can find unicorns that know the spell and are willing to help me.' While true most of the ponies had accepted him as a citizen of Equestria, many had reacted badly when he told them what he did, war being a distant and taboo subject for many.

'I can always make some for you and I'm sure Rarity would as well if I taught her the spell.' Twilight offered.

'Thanks.' A belch and a flame erupted from Spike as a letter arrived. Twilight picked it up with her magic and opened it. She scanned it, hoping it was for her but was disappointed to see it was addressed to Fletcher.

'It's for you, Michael.' He took it from her, feeling the static crawl up his arm. The letter was brief. _A chariot will be along soon to bring you to Canterlot. Celestia. _Fletcher nodded to himself. Looks like he wouldn't be bored for long.

'Well, I've got places to be, things to blow up. Thanks for looking into that spell for me.' He picked up the empty magazine and tried to gather as much of the spent brass from the floor. Twilight stopped him and used her magic to pick them all up.

'You need to meet with the princesses. Go pack whatever you'll need.' He nodded in thanks and took off back to Ponyville. They had agreed the chariots would arrive at his house in town unless otherwise stated. Fletcher managed to get back just as the chariot arrived. The two Pegasi pulling it nodded in greeting as he climbed aboard and they were away.

The city of Canterlot was as majestic as ever as they rounded the mountain and landed in the castle's courtyard. Another of the Royal Guards appeared and led Fletcher inside to the throne room where the two princesses waited.

'Greetings, Michael.' Celestia said as he bowed. 'I hope the trip was uneventful.' Fletcher grunted.

'Not dodging flak, not avoiding incoming fire, not a chance of being blown out of the sky. Yeah, it was uneventful.' He walked closer to the two sisters. 'I assume something has come up that needs my particular attention?'

'You could say that.' Celestia stood and walked down to him, Luna following close behind. 'To the south is the Kingdom of the Griffins. And recently they have become increasingly aggressive in trade talks with us.'

'And this is relevant to the House of the Demon how?'

'I need an escort who possesses a certain ability to unnerve others.' Luna told him. 'I am going to the Griffin capital in hopes of easing tensions and none of my usual guards have quite as much experience as you.'

'Oh. What kind of situation will we likely face?'

'Overt hostility and forced niceness. But I don't think you will need to bring special weapons. Those you have now are sufficient.' Fletcher nodded.

'When do we leave?'

'Right now. We have another chariot waiting to escort you to Griffin territory.' Celestia said. 'We have some supplies already onboard for you.'

'Okay.' Fletcher looked to Luna. 'Let's go.' He escorted her out to the waiting chariot and they boarded. It took flight as soon as they were seated.

'Is this going to be a long trip?' Fletcher asked as they headed south. Luna nodded but said nothing.

The journey lasted for over eight hours, the terrain below changing from the lush fields and farms of Equestria to more barren lands of the Griffin Kingdom.

'Nice place.' Fletcher mused.

'They breed cattle mostly. They're omnivores, like you.' Fletcher shook his head.

'No. Not like me. For starters I don't have claws.' The chariot touched down outside a large, imposing city and a trio of griffins emerged.

'Keep your weapon drawn. Do not speak unless I allow it and even then, keep it as brief as possible. Understood?' Fletcher nodded. The three griffins finally arrived.

'You Princess Luna?' The first asked. Fletcher glanced over him. A thin scar ran from his forehead down to below his beak. He seemed to be the one in charge as he strode forward.

'Yes, I am her.' Luna's voice carried with it authority, much different from the one Fletcher had gotten used to. That voice was more warm and open.

'And who's this?' Scar eyed Fletcher, paying particular attention to his rifle. 'I don't like it.'

'He is my personal escort. Now, would you be so kind as to take us to your King? We have matters of importance to discuss.' Scar grumbled and led them into the city proper. Fletcher's first impressions of it being imposing from the outside had been a little off. Inside it felt oppressive. Whilst Canterlot had ornate designs for each of the buildings, Griffin City was devoid of decor. It was plain, utilitarian and grimy. Everywhere he looked he received glares of distrust or saw griffin guards intimidating a shop owner. How could a place like this exist in the world of Equestria? Then he stopped thinking like that. The show had focused on Twilight and the others, not the other inhabitants of the planet. Gilda was one of two griffins he had seen and it had not made a good impression. She had been brash, cocky and arrogant. Fletcher hadn't started out with a good image of the griffins in mind and the walk through the city only served to worsen it. The castle loomed ahead as they entered through the drawbridge.

'Your guard can wait outside.' Scar told Luna when they reached the throne room. She shook her head at the notion.

'Not possible. He is not to leave my side at all. It is one of the laws his order follows. And I would not feel comfortable being alone.' The second of the three griffins leered at the princess.

'You wouldn't be alone. I'll keep you company.' He edged closer to her but Fletcher cut him off, shaking his head slowly. The griffin scowled and backed away. Now Fletcher nodded. 'Stupid law.'

'If that is all for now, I wish to see your King.' Luna waited until Scar knocked on the door, a brief double tap. A moment later the doors swung inwards, revealing a crimson themed room containing a marble throne. On the throne was a grizzled looking griffin bearing a crimson sash with the emblem of his people near the top: the head of a griffin surrounded by eleven stars.

'Ah, Princess Luna. So glad you could make it.' His voice rumbled and had a surprising amount of clarity to it. It sounded charismatic. 'I trust the journey wasn't too taxing.'

'Not at all. I feel refreshed as does my compatriot.' She inclined her head to Fletcher, still silent as he watched the griffin King. The rifle was slung across his chest, ready to be brought up within a second.

'What an odd creature. And with such fascinating clothing. Does it speak?'

'Yes. But he prefers to say as little as possible.' Luna sat down by an ornate table decorated in, of course, crimson. The King followed. 'And please, call me Luna.'

'And you may call me Luthor, Luna.' He sat opposite from her, ringing a small bell. An attendant appeared. 'Bring me a selection of drinks and treats to suit our guest's appetite.' The attendant disappeared before arriving soon after with bottles of wine and platters of what Fletcher would have called rabbit food. Luna graciously accepted them as the talks began. For some reason, Fletcher didn't expect a good outcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Two

The talks lasted for three days but no resolution was in sight. The griffin position was that Equestria was undercutting their Kingdom by importing low end goods at inflated prices whilst Luna had denied all knowledge of this, stating Equestrian goods had to meet strict regulations before being sold to others and all prices were calculated accordingly. Fletcher's feeling of unease grew with each passing hour. Whenever the meeting broke up for an extended period of time, another griffin would be somewhere inside the room. Not immediately obvious but Fletcher found them. By the end of the third day, there were eight griffins not including the King. The fourth day dawned as Fletcher and the princess woke up.

'I have a bad feeling about today.' Luna looked at him, sighing.

'I know. Just make sure that if something does go wrong, remember your laws.' He nodded.

'Yes, your majesty.' They stepped out into the hallway, making their way to the throne room once again, probably for the last time. _Oh well, _Fletcher thought. _I never did like all that crimson. _The room held the usual eight griffins as they entered. But the atmosphere inside had altered dramatically. The king stood and walked up to the two.

'Princess Luna, I feel that you and your kingdom are deliberately trying to cripple our economy. If you do not reverse this soon, we will be forced to take action.' If Luna was shocked by his words, or what he threatened, she didn't show it.

'King Luthor, my people are not trying to cripple you. Nor will we do so in the future. And any display of force made will be met. But Equestria will not start a war with you, or any nation. We advocate peace between all.' Luthor angrily brushed these comments aside.

'Imperialistic bluster. I might remind you that we have one of the largest armies in this land. Any attempt to match it would be a woeful exercise in futility.'

'Biggest does not always mean best. If your troops cannot fight properly, it will not matter how many you have.' Luna kept a steady gaze with the griffin. Around him, the others unfurled their wings, readying themselves for a fight. Fletcher merely flicked the safety off of his rifle. 'And might I remind you attacking me without good cause will be seen as an act of aggression between our people.'

'Good cause? I'm protecting my people's interests at every turn. If a war is needed to best serve them, so be it.' He backed away from the two as the eight griffins stepped forward.

'Princess, behind me.' Fletcher said as he raised his rifle, sweeping his gaze across the eight griffins. She complied and stood behind him. 'Now fellas, I want you to think real careful about this. She is an Alicorn with a wicked bad temper. And I am a powerful warrior who has an even worse one. Right now I'm calm. Take one step closer to her or even look at her funny, I lose it and people start dying. Namely you.' They stopped, watching him carefully. Fletcher's mind entered a cold state, taking into account their positions around him. Directly in front was Scar. To his left were three others he had never really seen before. All were powerfully built and had razor sharp claws. It was pretty much the same with the four on the right side too. Take Scar out, then those either side. Reload and then remove the remaining two on the left as threats. Fire on the remaining three before evacuating the princess out of the castle and city and then start walking back to Canterlot. Simple. In theory. Scar moved first, claws outstretched. Fletcher's mind started the pre-programmed plan in his head before detaching itself to let his body execute its motions. A burst from the rifle struck Scar in the throat as well as those either side of him. A spent magazine clattered to the floor as Fletcher fitted a new one and opened fire again on the two on the left, hitting them in the chest and shredding their internal organs. Unlike the ammunition he had first received on the planet which had been semi-armour piercing, these were hollow points and were destructive against flesh, the Hague Convention be damned. With the magazine now half empty, he turned his attention to the last three griffins that were just getting over the nature in which Fletcher had attacked and were retaliating. He fired at target number one and emptied the rest of the clip and slid another home. The remaining two griffins managed to get as far as laying a dying claw on his boot. The now empty magazine dropped to join its brothers.

'Let's get out of here.' Fletcher advised, fitting another clip of ammunition.

'Agreed.' Luna said. 'Lead the way.' They ran from the throne room past several angry griffins with Fletcher using short controlled bursts to take them down. Behind them a dozen or so emerged from a guard's room and ran at them. Fletcher primed and dropped two grenades. They exploded just as the majority of the crowd was on top them. Twin explosions and screams of pain followed as the princess and her escort made it out of the castle.

'Where's the chariot?' Fletcher asked as they ducked into an alley.

'It went back after dropping us off.' Luna was slightly out of breath as she said it.

'What? You allowed our only way out of here to leave without us?' A small group of griffins emerged from the castle, prompting the two to edge further into the alley.

'Yes. Because I was hoping we could settle this situation and then join a trade caravan back to Canterlot.'

'Perfect. We're trapped in a now hostile city full of deadly creatures with no quick way home.' Fletcher readied his rifle. 'This is going to be fun.' A thought hit him. 'Can't you teleport us out of here?' Luna shook her head.

'I can teleport myself out of here but the trip would be too traumatic for you.'

'Why?'

'Because you are not a native of this land. Everypony who resides here has a small level of magic in them that allows them to be unharmed by the process.' Luna held a hoof up to silence what he would undoubtedly say next. 'And no, your connection to the Elements is not enough or the same.'

'Shit.' Fletcher cast an eye north, bringing up Canterlot's position on his maps. Over a thousand kilometres with some tough terrain before he would even hit Equestrian borders. 'I guess I can walk. You go on back to Canterlot now, inform Celestia of what happened.' Luna's mouth dropped open in shock.

'You can't be serious.' Fletcher nodded. 'That's a two week walk under good conditions! You'll have to evade griffin soldiers and air patrols. No, we go together.'

'No. One of the laws you made me obey is that if the princess has a chance of escaping, you must make sure she takes it. And this is one such chance. Besides,' Fletcher depolarised his visor, showing a crooked grin. 'I'm a Demon. I'm supposed to evade the enemy whist causing panic. And my armour has some wicked camouflage.' Luna conceded.

'Very well. But before you do anything, try to find some information on troop strength for the griffin army.' The visor repolarised.

'Yes, ma'am. Now go. I got a playdate with some overgrown chickens.' A brief flash of light followed and Fletcher was left all alone. Activating his armour's camouflage systems he crept back until he was in a corner. That light had to of attracted some attention. Soon enough a group of guards appeared, peering down the length of the alley trying to find the source of the illumination. Fletcher raised his rifle in case they saw him. Unlikely. The corner was dark and in shadow, his armour only adding an extra layer of protection. The griffins gave up and went back to searching, leaving Fletcher alone. He sat back and waited for nightfall.

The castle was ridiculously easy to breach. Whilst the approach up the castle had been nerve wracking as he evaded the odd griffin, the wall was almost soothing. The stone was rough and provided plenty of handholds as he climbed higher. Evidently, being creatures of flight and the nearest war capable race having hooves and not claws, the griffins hadn't put any thought into making the wall smooth to stop a creature like him. An open window above beckoned. Once inside, Fletcher activated VISR, bathing the area in that familiar sickly glow and yellow outlines. A quick check confirmed there were no hostiles in the vicinity though his motion tracker was picking up two contacts behind him. Fletcher crept out of the room, rifle at the ready. Maybe he should have brought his SMG instead. The close confines made it a valuable weapon to have. Focusing back to the task at hand, Fletcher began making his way along the corridor, away from the two contacts.

'Now where would I keep my numbers on troop and equipment strength if I were a griffin king?' Fletcher murmured to himself. 'War room. Duh.' Next question, where would that be? A single blip appeared on his motion tracker directly in front of him. 'Let's find out.' The blip turned out to be a lone griffin servant. Fletcher clamped down on his beak and pulled him into a nearby room.

'I'm going to ask a series of questions. You answer them truthfully, I just knock you out. Tell a lie, I kill you. Understand?' Fletcher drew his knife and held it against the griffin's neck. Feeling the cold metal blade rub against his skin, his captive nodded. 'Good. Now, first question. Does this place have a room where all the details of your military are stored?' The griffin nodded.

'Is it close?' Another nod. 'I'm going to release your beak now, but make any kind of noise to alert your pals, I give you a new hole to breathe through. Understand?' The griffin nodded rapidly. 'Okay. Now where is this room?' He released the beak but dug the tip of the blade into the flesh just a little.

'It-it's down stairs on the left. All the files are in a cabinet behind the big desk. That's it.'

'Will anyone be in there at this time of night?'

'No. They-they don't work at night.' His voice was cracking as he spoke.

'Okay. Now I'm going to knock you out. It shouldn't leave any scars, just a nasty bump.' Fletcher drew his pistol and brought it down on the griffin's head. He went limp and fell to the floor. Stepping over the unconscious griffin, Fletcher made his way out to the stairs and descended. True to his word, the war room was on the left. The lock yielded after Fletcher shoved it, allowing him into the room. More crimson, with banners of both Luthor and the emblem of the Griffin Kingdom everywhere. The big desk was situated right at the back and the cabinet further on. It was unlocked and Fletcher soon had everything out of it, not sure what would be valuable and what wouldn't. A nearby satchel held everything and the human made his escape.

A small explosion sounded, followed by a series of even bigger ones as Fletcher dove from the castle wall to a nearby rooftop. He watched in satisfaction as the wall crumpled following the detonation of over fifty barrels of gunpowder, most likely to be used in cannons or for breaching walls, now rendered useless by a single well placed grenade. Griffins from all corners of the city converged on the site, shouting wildly. Fletcher grinned as he climbed down to street level and headed north, the satchel of documents securely slung over his shoulder. He dodged a few late comers and was soon in the countryside around the city.

'Man, I wish I had a Warthog right now.' Fletcher groused as he started walking back.

In the two weeks since he had been there, Ponyville had grown considerable. Most of the houses were complete and the businesses had reopened in most cases. Fletcher trudged onwards, eager for food, water and sleep. Since he had trekked from Griffin City he'd had barely any respite, eating berries and fruit when he could, which wasn't often enough in Griffin territory. Days were spent walking. Nights were spent walking. All the while he had to avoid anything with wings and claws that wanted to kill him. And now he was in safer lands his body cried out for rest. But first he had to get to Sweet Apple Acres. He needed Spike to send the scrolls he had carried with him for over a thousand kilometres and get them to those who could use them. The farmhouse came into view as he crested the last hill. He walked on.

'Michael!' The voice belonged to Applejack who was once again hitching herself to a cart full of apples. She abandoned it and ran up to him. 'Where in Equestria have ya'll been? We've been worried sick.'

'I was sent with Princess Luna to the griffin capital to the south and things didn't go quite as planned.' He shifted the satchel from his arm. 'Is Spike around?' Applejack nodded.

'He's inside with Twilight. Come on, Ah'll take you to him.'

'Thanks.'

'No problem. After all, it was thanks to you Applebloom and the others finally got their cutie marks.'

'Really? What did she get?'

'A hammer and screwdriver crossed over an apple.' Fletcher laughed.

'So, no more insane Cutie Mark Crusaders?' Applejack shook her head.

'Nah, they'll change the name to something else and still do insane stuff. Just, not with so much yelling.'

'You hope.' They reached the porch and Applejack led the way inside. Twilight was reading a book on what expectant mothers should expect from a new born foal and Spike was reading a comic. Both looked up when Fletcher walked in.

'You're back!' She sprang up from the sofa and wrapped him in a hug. 'I was so worried about you. The princess said you were stuck near Griffonia and couldn't be picked up.' She released him and made him sit. Applejack joined them, wanting to hear his tale.

'There's not much to tell really. Princess Luna could teleport herself out of there but couldn't take me with her. So I had to walk back.'

'Why didn't they send another chariot?' Twilight asked.

'Because of some problems with the locals.' Fletcher turned to Spike who had gone back to his comic. 'I actually need Spike to send some things to the princesses.'

'Huh?' Spike shifted his gaze from the comic to Fletcher. 'Uh, sure. What do you need to send?' He placed the comic to the side and took the satchel from Fletcher and opened it.

'All of these scrolls please.' Spike took a deep breath and sent most off in a single puff of fire, following up with a series of shorter flames as he sent the remaining ones. 'Thanks.' Spike waved him off and returned to his comic. Fletcher got to his feet and moved towards the door.

'Where are ya'll going?' Applejack asked.

'Home. I'm hungry, thirsty, in desperate need of a shower and tired after walking for two weeks. I think I'm going to just collapse when I get home.' To emphasise his point, he yawned and stretched. 'See you three later.' He walked back home, doing just as he promised and collapsed on the bed as soon as he got in.

Eight or so hours later he was feeling much better. His stomach was full; he'd had a wash and gotten a decent amount of sleep. A knocking at the door roused him from cleaning his weapons. The door opened to reveal Twilight holding a scroll for him. Her face didn't look too happy. About what though, Fletcher had no clue.

'Here. The princess just sent it.' He took it from her.

'Thanks. Is something wrong?' He unrolled the scroll.

_Fletcher, please come to Canterlot immediately. There are matters we need to discuss about the situation involving the Griffin Kingdom. Celestia. _He finished reading the scroll and stowed it in one of his armour's compartments.

'That scroll was enchanted with a spell that meant only you could read it. The princess has never sent one of those before. You lied to us. Something did happen with the griffins, didn't it?'

'Yes. But it doesn't concern you.' He reassembled his weapons and clipped them into place. Fletcher moved to leave but Twilight stayed standing in his way. 'I need to go.'

'You lied to us.' she repeated.

'No. I said that we had some trouble with the locals. That's all we had. Some trouble.' She still didn't move. 'Twilight, you can stand there all day but you won't get me to talk. And right now, I need to meet with the princesses. Being the favoured student won't help you here. My directives have changed and they are now top priority.' She stood firm. Fletcher sighed. 'Twilight, right now you are interfering in a matter of Equestrian security. I have every right under my House to arrest you for it without a trial or significant evidence for as long as I want. Don't push it.' This did the trick as she moved aside to let him past. She caught him with her magic as he went by.

'Would you really arrest me?' she asked.

'Do something like this again, I will.' She released him and he set off towards Canterlot at a steady jog. The sun was beginning to set as he entered the forest. Would he really arrest her? His tone when he had spoken was low, something she had associated with his ODST mindset. When he was in that state of mind, he was far from forgiving to his enemies. Had he seen her as an enemy just now? She shivered at the thought and began trotting back home. She needed someone to comfort her.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Three

By the time Fletcher had reached the castle it was past midnight. He noted the increased guards at every entrance to the castle as he walked in. He wondered what other kind of measures they had taken against griffin attacks. The door to the throne room opened as Fletcher drew nearer. Inside Celestia and Luna were discussing something of importance with a formidable looking Pegasus. He bowed as he drew near.

'Ah, Michael. So good to see you again. Please, join us.' Celestia moved slightly, allowing him room to see what they were looking at. It was a map of Equestria, but not as detailed as his maps. A series of markers indicated where troops were. There were two colours. Green for Equestria and red for the griffins. The Pegasus looked at Fletcher, raising an eyebrow.

'So this is the Michael I've heard so much about.' The Pegasus was big, and a series of small scars adding a much needed scary factor. His cutie mark was two swords crossed in front of a shield. Fletcher nodded.

'Trooper Michael Fletcher, formerly of the UNSC and member of the House of the Demon. We haven't met.' Fletcher held his hand out. The Pegasus held his hoof out and they shook.

'General Blitzkrieg, supreme commander of all of Equestria's armed forces.' He gestured to the map and its markers. 'Thanks to you, we have some of the best intelligence on the enemy strengths we could have asked for.'

'All in a day's work.' He turned to face the princesses. 'I suppose I'm being deployed to undermine enemy logistics?'

'Yes. The files you retrieved have highlighted several areas where war materials are manufactured. Specifically, metal smelters and casters for their armour and cannons. We also need you to destroy their supply of gunpowder.' Celestia moved several papers and pins around on the map, showing him his targets. One was directly in Griffonia. The rest were scattered around it, the furthest being twelve miles away.

'You can scratch the gunpowder stocks off. I used them to create a distraction to escape. Damn near blew the castle up.' Blitzkrieg laughed. 'So what kind of targets are they? Factories? Furnaces?'

'Both. Two are furnaces and the three others are factories. This one,' She pointed at the one closest to the city. 'Is a gunpowder manufacturer. Their only one. Take it out and they can only use their cannons for a short time.'

'Got it. Target number one needs a definite crater. Anything else?'

'No. We will give you a chariot to take you back to Ponyville to gather what supplies you need before taking you into griffin territory.' Celestia signalled to two nearby guards and Fletcher was led back outside to a waiting chariot. It pulled away as soon as he was seated and returned to Ponyville. Fletcher got out and retrieved his M7S and ten spare clips, along with a dozen grenades. He had to blow things up, and seeing how effective the little green lumps of metal had been, he wanted to take a lot of them. He boarded the waiting chariot once again and they headed south into enemy territory.

His first target was the gunpowder factory. It was a little over half a mile away, menacing and oddly gothic looking. Griffins poured out, the end of another working day. Fletcher waited until they had all gone before making his way closer to the entrance. Two surly guards stood watch. Two muted shots from his pistol later, he was inside. To the left of the doorway was the administrative section, paperwork and rosters filling the small space. To the right was the factory itself. Huge cylinders spanned the area, presumably what they made the powder in. Lengths of pulleys connected them to steam engines and walkways cast long shadows over them. Here and there were barrels of gunpowder, either half filled or waiting to be taken to storage. Fletcher pushed past them and went looking for the bulk of the powder. Find that and he would have a hell of a firework to set off. A clatter of tools nearby caught his attention and put him on alert. Maybe he wasn't so alone in here. Fletcher drew his SMG and kept it tight to his shoulder. Bored voices drifted over the dusty air but he could catch about one word in five. Worse, they sounded like they were coming from the direction he needed to go. So, possibly two or more hostiles in the one place he needed to go. Great.

He crept down the walkway, his armour blending in perfectly with the shadows and murky colours that made up the factory. The voices had gotten a little clearer, now he could make out one word in three, and there were definitely three of them. Easy. Fletcher crept closer to the door and eased it open slightly. The voices paused momentarily before continuing. He took a calming breath before slamming the door open and firing at the three griffins. They were taken by surprise and never stood a chance. He stepped past them and into the main storage area. There were rows upon rows of freshly packed barrels of explosives. Fletcher felt a little weak at the knees at the sight. Shaking himself out of his little reprieve he set about making a fuse he could light and escape before it blew. As it turned out, the factory also made fuses in uncut lengths up to twenty meters long. He gathered five of them and got to work.

Twenty minutes later, Fletcher lit a match and held it against the fuse's tip. It caught and the flame travelled down the fuse in less than twenty seconds. Instead of the fiery movie style boom he had been expecting, it was more of a slow explosion with a bit of fire as it detonated. Despite that, the building seemed to literal burst apart as the explosive forces inside grew to unimaginable levels and finally the structure gave up the fight. Bricks, stone and mortar flew in every direction. Then the shockwave hit. It partially lifted Fletcher into the air and threw him backwards into a small tree. He managed to regain his mind quickly enough to dodge the falling debris as it came down. Maybe a hundred meters hadn't been far away enough. The other two factories made small things like bows and arrows. Fire seemed to be the best course of action for each one and he left burning hulks behind. Now it was time to turn his attention to the furnaces that provided the metal vital for the war machines.

The intelligence had been wrong. Or at least out of date by two weeks. The first furnace Fletcher arrived at was already abandoned. A quick look around provided no answers. All of the equipment was still in place but the metal had long since solidified into lumps in the casting pits and the main smelter had been cracked in two dozen places. A fault in the design? Or intentional sabotage? Fletcher shrugged and moved out, heading towards his final destination. It was the furthest one from the city and as Fletcher drew closer, he could hear the hammering of metal. He frowned. It was close to midnight here. All of the other factories had been empty save for one or two guards and late night staff. As he crested the hill, his stomach dropped. The area around the furnace was more akin to a small town. Wooden homes dotted the landscape in clusters with the late night shift milling around. The furnace itself belched black smoke and was lit from within by a hellish orange glow.

'Fuck.' Fletcher muttered. This was going to be fun for him. He activated his armour's camouflage system and crouched until he reached the edge of the town. A quick glance down the side of the house revealed he wouldn't be going in that way. One, there were too many griffins to easily sneak past. Two, smoke and dust filled the air. Whenever someone moved they left a trail, no matter how slowly they did. Hell, people who were stood still got covered. That left one other avenue of entry: the rooftops. The smoke seemed to stay at ground level but above it was clean air. Fletcher carefully climbed up the side of the house and crawled over the roofs, trying to avoid knocking something off. His luck held as he finally reached the target and slipped in through an open window. If the outside had seemed bad, the inside was hell. Almost a hundred griffins sifted through lumps of scrap, trying to find something useful, placing it on a crude conveyor belt that deposited it in a waiting cart. When it was nearly full, a griffin would pull a lever and the cart would trundle off to one of several vats filled with molten metal. Fletcher glanced around, trying to find an easy, but effective way to cripple this place. He had no timed charges so he couldn't rig the roof to fall down. Nor could he engage over a hundred griffins and survive, even with stealth on his side. His eyes fell on the vats. Each was huge, well over twenty meters tall and ten across. As he watched, a worker signalled to someone and the nearest vat tilted, pouring some of its contents into a channel. The molten metal flowed down to a large pool where it was allowed to solidify and cool before it could be used to make munitions and armour. Fletcher turned back to the vat as it was righted, trying to see what had tipped it. There. A series of ropes and pulleys were near the base and were connected to a gantry above. Supposedly, a worker would alert the operator when the vat was ready and he would pull the correct lever. But how to get up there? A small ladder was positioned at one end and Fletcher's face fell. It was at the other end of the factory, furthest from him. He would have to try and make his way there without being spotted.

'Aren't I lucky?' he groused. Thankfully, the molten metal provided enough light to create deep shadows which Fletcher used to his advantage and managed to get to within fifty feet of the ladder's base. Then his luck ran out. Four griffins were lounging around it, talking to themselves and watching over this part of the furnace, occasionally yelling at a worker who slacking off. Could he kill them without drawing attention to himself? Not likely. Though his weapons would be impossible to hear over all of the noise being made, the sudden death of four workers would cause a panic. Maybe he could slip past them and be up the ladder and put his plan into motion before they would even know he was there. But then one of them slouched against the ladder, blocking access. He had to kill them.

'Fuck.' He shouldered his gun. 'And chaos in three, two, one.' He pulled the trigger, downing two in an instant. He dropped the spent magazine, inserted a new one and resumed firing. The other two went down just as fast, leaving the ladder clear. Fletcher sprinted and climbed up the ladder as fast as possible. Some nearby workers spotted the guards go down and what might have been a mirage climb up the ladder and shrieked. Two more guards flew over to see what the problem was. All they managed to gather from the worker was a ghost had killed four guards and was now on the control gantry above. Not believing him at first, a body fell from above and landed near the middle of the factory. The two guards called more over and flew up to see what was going on. All they saw on the gantry was the controls, now unattended, and nothing else. Then a cry of terror went up from near the vats and was soon joined by many others. The vats had started to tilt, ready to pour their contents, but soon went past what was considered safe. Thousands of gallons of molten metal poured onto the floor and swept away everything in its path. Most of the workers managed to fly above the burning liquid but a few weren't so lucky and soon the stench of burning meat and feathers filled the air. This was not good.

Fletcher managed to evade the masses of griffins escaping the now burning building and was soon heading to the meeting point for his ride back. He had estimated it might take him three days to complete everything the princesses had assigned him and he had done it in two. All he had to do now was wait. He climbed into the branches of a nearby tree and slept leaning against the main trunk. Visions of home, his real home, filled his dreams. Waking up after a night of drinking with Frankie, fighting with his sister for control of the remote, killing grunts on Halo. And his parents. They looked happy in his dreams, but they seemed a little blurry. Like he couldn't remember exactly what they looked like. They were all blurry. He reached out to them but they vanished and were replaced with branches and trees. He had woken up. The flutter of Pegasi wings told him his chariot awaited.

The mood in the throne room was tense. The princesses and Blitzkrieg were still gathered round the same table, discussing what to do. Fletcher joined them, bowing as he did so.

'Factories and furnaces are gone.' Fletcher announced. 'Now what?'

'We meet their forces with our own. There is still the threat of the matériel they already have and if these troop numbers are accurate they have six times as many soldiers as we do.' Blitzkrieg told him. 'At best, we can slow them down but really it is a matter of time.'

'Couldn't we hold a recruitment drive of some kind?' Luna asked.

'Yes, but the time needed to train them and equip them would cause a drain on resources.' Blitzkrieg shook his head. 'It would be better to use guerrilla tactics against such a large army as this.' Fletcher studied the map, noting the positions of the Equestrian and Griffin forces and where battles were predicted to happen and where they already were. There were currently three battles along the southern border and five more threatened to erupt.

'Maybe not, General. Luna, you said their forces weren't as well trained as ours. In what way?'

'They lack knowledge in tactics, preferring to charge en masse or wait for orders from above. We however focus more on using the terrain to our advantage and our troops can recognise when the situation turns in their favour.' She looked at him. 'Why?'

'You'll see. General, if the high command of the griffin army were to suddenly disappear, would it throw their troops into chaos?' He nodded, seeing where it was going. 'And could your forces, using superior training and the confusion of no high command, take the initiative?'

'Yes, they damn well could. I assume you can give me that?' Fletcher nodded. 'Son, you are the very definition of crazy.'

'I prefer to think of myself as insane. Do we have images of the high command?' Celestia flicked through the piles of paper stacked on the table and produced a newspaper clipping with an image of twelve griffins standing in a line.

'This is a picture of the Griffin Military Council on the hundredth anniversary of the Griffin Kingdom from last year.' Fletcher saved the image onto his armour for future reference. 'They are never far from the frontlines or their troops. But equally so, they are never without guards. Each has three personal guards.'

'So, I have to fight of nearly fifty bad guys to cripple their military?' Fletcher asked. Celestia nodded.

'As this is a very personal war for them, they will most likely all be together in one area. Which, though, we cannot be sure.'

'Always look for the best defended.' Fletcher advised as he mulled over which method to use. Infiltrate the camp, take down the targets and escape? No, too risky. Lead a frontal assault with a lance of Equestrian soldiers? Too suicidal. That left him two options. One, take them down one at a time, which would be doable at least twice before security was ramped up. Or two, snipe them or use rockets.

'I need to go back to Ponyville, pick up some special equipment. Then we need to go scope out the locations, see which is most likely to be what we want.' The princesses nodded and called for another chariot. _I need to ask about frequent flier miles, _he thought as he took to the skies. A second and third chariot joined him as they touched down, the Pegasi explaining they were going to start recruiting new recruits. Fletcher just nodded as he went inside his house. He kept the SMG and began to disassemble to sniper rifle, putting it and ten spare clips of ammunition in a case. The rocket launcher couldn't be broken down so he just clamped it to his back and picked up five satchels of ammunition. Satisfied he had enough firepower to complete his task Fletcher began to make his way back to the chariot but was stopped by Twilight and the others. None looked too happy.

'Uh, hi girls.' They looked at him. 'Can I help you with something?'

'You can start by tellin' the truth.' Applejack finally said. The others nodded.

'About?'

'What happened down in Griffonia and why some Royal Guards are trying to recruit most of Ponyville.' Twilight said. 'And why you keep disappearing at all hours of the day.' She noticed the launcher on his back and the ammunition and rifle case in his hands. 'What are going to do with those?'

'Sorry, can't tell you.' He moved to walk around them but was blocked by Rainbow Dash.

'Can't or won't?' She growled.

'Both. And right now,' His voice went lower as his mind dropped into its ODST frame. 'You are all interfering in Equestrian security. I've already warned Twilight about it but let me say it again. I have every right to arrest all of you, no matter what your relationship to the princesses. Move or you'll be facing jail time.' He remained still, glaring at Rainbow Dash and the others. Fluttershy backed off, as did Rarity and Pinkie. The others remained standing in his way. 'Fine, if that's how you want to play it.' Fletcher whistled to two of the guards on recruitment duty. They trotted over.

'Yes, Sir Fletcher?' the senior of the two asked.

'Arrest these three for interfering in national security matters.' The three mares felt their jaws drop. They were being arrested, by Michael no less. The two guards began reciting the rights they had as they led them to what passed as Ponyville's jail until more guards could help escort them. Rainbow Dash tied to fly off but was brought back down by one of the guards tackling her to the ground. He dragged her upright and carried on. The remaining three looked on in shock as Fletcher placed the case, launcher and reloads into the chariot before it took off for the front lines.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Four

The chariot deposited Fletcher and his equipment on a cliff overlooking the main griffin encampment. Almost three thousand soldiers were thought to be stationed there. But none of this was at the forefront of his mind as he unpacked the sniper rifle and reassembled it. Everything clicked into place beautifully and the magazine slid home without a problem. Fletcher deployed the bipod and set about finding the range and setting the scope accordingly. He sighted on what seemed like the command tent and activated the rangefinder. Slightly under two kilometres. Well within range. As he watched, several griffin soldiers went in and out, carry news and dispatching orders. Now all he had to do was verify his targets were there. A single griffin, one of the twelve he was tasked with eliminating, stepped outside. That answered part of his question. There were at least some here, but Fletcher needed to know if there were more, so he settled into a long wait.

Over the next two days, Fletcher observed everything that happened in the camp. New soldiers would arrive, wounded would leave and the twelve in charge of the whole war eventually showed their faces. They never seemed to leave the tent for anything other than a quick inspection or to give a rallying talk. He rechecked the range. Still under two kilometres. Well within the sniper's range and within the rocket launcher's range. So which weapon? The rifle had more accuracy and would hit quicker than the slow and obvious rockets but he could take out three, maybe four targets before they scattered. The rockets could take out half a dozen with each one fired but were easy to see and avoid.

'Fuck it.' He reached for the launcher and made sure the reloads were nearby. Now when to fire? He zoomed in, instantly missing the high powered optics of the sniper. He'd have to make some kind of modification when he got back, maybe have a unicorn copy the sniper rifle and cannibalise parts. He decided to wait until dawn. They would be sleepy, and unaware of what was about to happen.

Dawn was minutes away as Fletcher roused himself. He reached for the launcher and sighted one again on the camp, activating VISR for help with the low light and to bring the target that bit closer. Hardly anything was moving aside from the occasional guard. Perfect. He adjusted the sight to take into account the arc the rockets would go through and waited. The sun breached the far horizon and Fletcher launched his first salvo. He popped the spent tubes out and reloaded, firing again. A third and fourth salvo followed. As the first two reached the tent, Fletcher exchanged the launcher for the sniper rifle and watched twin explosions rip through the flimsy fabric. The next six hit right where he had hoped they would, leaving no stretch of tent undamaged. Through the scope he could see the bodies still moving, at least eight of them. Were they the ones he had targeted specifically or were they just caught in the crossfire? He shrugged and began firing, expending two and a half magazines. By now the camp had woken up and was desperately trying to defend against an attack that wasn't happening. Fletcher decided to take the initiative and shot the griffins that seemed to be trying to organise the defence. He fired until he was out ammunition, scoring a further twenty seven kills. He packed the rifle up just as a small group of griffins began flying towards his position. Fletcher smiled as he clamped the launcher into place. All they would find would be brass casings and empty magazines. He would be long gone.

The trip back to Canterlot was pleasant enough. Aside from a small detour to Ponyville to replace his weapons with the MA5K, he went straight back, taking three whole days. The princesses and Blitzkrieg were still crowded around the maps but looked up at his arrival. The general had a happy face, knowing his enemy had been severely crippled. The same couldn't be said for Celestia and Luna though. Both seemed unhappy with him as he walked up.

'Enemy high command neutralised. I even took down some others who showed potential.' The general laughed.

'I wish I had some more like you. Heck, I bet you could win this whole thing by yourself.' Now Fletcher laughed.

'I aim to please.' Celestia moved to stand in front of him, her gaze less than welcoming.

'Fletcher, may I have a word with you?' He felt a lump form in his stomach. Celestia had just called him by his last name. No one ever did that.

'Uh, yes, your majesty.' She led him to a small chamber behind the thrones, not looking at him. She seemed pissed at something. As he entered the room, she closed the door with a slam.

'I have found out that you had Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle arrested before your departure. Is there any reason why?' She glared at him, her mane seeming to grow larger with each passing moment. Fletcher swallowed before speaking.

'They interfered in Equestrian security. I told them what would happen and gave them plenty of warnings but they persisted.' He stood straighter. 'And it is within my power under the House of the Demon to do arrest them.'

'And how did they interfere?'

'They refused to allow me past them and board a waiting chariot until I divulged classified information regarding the war.' He had slipped into his ODST persona.

'Such as?'

'My deployments behind enemy lines and the reasoning behind them.' Celestia sighed.

'Fletcher, you do realise that they are the Elements of Harmony and one is pregnant?'

'Yes ma'am. But my charter states that I may arrest _anyone _who interferes. Anyone includes the Elements. And Twilight is currently six or so weeks pregnant. The foal will not be born for another forty-two weeks.'

'What about the stress this might have put on her?' Celestia almost yelled. Fletcher used every ounce of will power to not flinch at her outburst.

'My concern has shifted from the well being of the Elements to you, your sister and Equestria. She was warned beforehand what would happen. I take no responsibility for anything that happens due to her imprisonment.' Celestia was taken aback by his statement.

'But you are connected to the Elements. They are what is keeping you alive. And you are still a Knight of Equestria, and you are still tasked with keeping them safe.'

'Oh.' Celestia's eyes narrowed.

'That is all you have to say? Oh? You arrested three of the bearers and forgot your commitment to them?' Fletcher nodded. 'If it weren't for the services you provide for all of Equestria, I would strip you of your title and send you to a remote colony as punishment.'

_Not much of a punishment, _Fletcher thought. He would still be alive and he'd never really liked being a Knight. Too many people trying to gain his favour when he told them, hoping for privileges.

'I hope you remember your role in future and continue to provide Twilight and the others some semblance of protection.'

'Yes ma'am.' She glared at him again before leading him back into the throne room. Luna glared at him as well before returning to the maps. Blitzkrieg raised an eyebrow as he looked between the three of them.

'So, Michael, did you manage to take to do much damage?' the Pegasus asked.

'Yeah. Nearly eighty dead or dying in the main camp here.' He pointed. 'And that was mostly those who showed a flair leadership and tactics. I spent most of the time observing the camp. The twelve of them were in a big tent in the middle and would send griffins out with new orders to the other three camps. As far as I can tell, they were the ones in charge of the entire griffin army.'

'Great job. Now we stand a chance at beating them.' He shifted a few markers forward towards one of the smaller camps. Fletcher shifted on his feet.

'Is there anything else I can do?' Blitzkrieg shook his head.

'I would like you to return to Ponyville.' Celestia told him. 'You have to make amends for your lapses in your duties and apologise to the Elements for your behaviour.'

'Yes ma'am.'Fletcher turned and left, jogging back to the small town he called home.

Here and there were ponies, but the late hour meant he was more or less alone. He sighed as he opened the door to his house. A few minutes later he had an MRE boiling on the stove, one of the many thousands Moore had given him, held in a box that employed Time Lord science, whatever that was. All he knew was that the box was just about small enough to allow him to hold it in one hand and never seemed to run out of food. A small knock on the door diverted his attention. Fletcher looked at the clock. Eleven at night. His mind briefly wondered who it could be at this time. Two names sprang to mind. The first was someone he probably wasn't on good terms with following his recent behaviour. The second was a Ponyville resident Fletcher found he got on well with. He got up to open the door and was greeted by the second name.

'Hey Derpy.' The wall eyed Pegasus was stood outside, grinning slightly.

'Hey Michael.' she said back.

'Door been glued shut again?' She nodded. 'Alright, come in.' He allowed her to go past before closing the door after her. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence. When Fletcher had become a permanent resident of Ponyville, he had immediately sparked up a friendship with Derpy, she being his favourite background pony, and had found she was a laugh to be around. Yes, she was clumsy but never let it get her down and always had a smile on her face. Unfortunately, some of the other residents of Ponyville thought it funny to mock and disrupt her. She would occasionally find her locks at home glued shut. So she would stay at his until they were fixed. It was the fifth or sixth time it had happened so far, though Fletcher thought she had done it on purpose once. He'd have to keep an ear out for ponies talking about it.

'Been busy lately?' Derpy asked, settling onto the bed. Fletcher shrugged.

'About usual. Escort a princess here, save a life of four there. You know, about usual.' He lifted the bag off of the stove and poured it into a pot. It was a vegetarian curry, and Derpy's nostrils flared at the smell. 'Want some?' She nodded. 'Thought you might.' He pulled a second, smaller pot out and poured about half of the curry into it. She thanked him before eating.

'How about you? Delivered anything good lately?' Derpy shook her head.

'Nope. Been quiet for the past few weeks.' She tapped a hoof to her chin. 'Although, the post office hasn't been rebuilt yet so I technically don't have a job.'

'Lucky.' Fletcher griped as he removed his helmet. 'I have to work all day and night.' He took a bite of the curry. 'Not bad.' He coughed as the spiciness hit. 'Maybe a little too much spice.' Derpy laughed, not minding the spice at all. They finished the curry off and shared a coffee before talking until midnight as they usually did. Derpy took the bed and Fletcher the floor. He dreamt of his parents again, only they were more blurred and distant. He reached out to them, only for them to dissolve into his roof. He sighed and sat up.

Derpy left soon after, stating she had to go see a locksmith for the usual. Fletcher had just nodded as he set another MRE to boil. He had no preference to what it was, just so long as it was edible. Currently, he was cooking chicken with noodles. After he had eaten it, he set about servicing his sniper rifle and rocket launcher. They had both seen heavy action in the space of just a few minutes each and given the lull he was in, he might as well see if they had anything wrong with them. There wasn't, aside from some minor cleaning. He reassembled them and placed them back into what passed as his armoury. Outside Ponyville hummed with life though as he listened he heard more and more ponies shriek in terror at something. Fletcher grabbed the nearest weapon, the shotgun, and ran outside. He stopped when he saw a griffin standing in front of a recently released Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Fletcher raised the shotgun and aimed it at the griffin as he drew closer, hardly anyone noticing him.

'So Rainbow Dash, what's it like living in such a dorky town as this for so long?' The voice sounded familiar and it took Fletcher a second to realise it was Gilda.

'Ponyville isn't dorky, and it is so much better living here than it was at Junior Speedsters with you.' Rainbow was close to the floor, ready to pounce. Gilda made a dismissive sound.

'At least I managed to finish it.' Rainbow Dash growled and pawed at the ground. She looked like she would happily kill the griffin and give it no other thought. Gilda flared her wings and extended her claws, ready for the Pegasus. The ponies gathered round shrank back a bit. Deciding this had gone on long enough; Fletcher raised the shotgun and fired it into the air. Everyone ducked and screamed at the noise. Gilda span round to face him as he pumped the slide, grinning at the crunch-crunch as a new shell was loaded.

'Put the claws away, bird, or the next blast goes in your chest.' Fletcher aimed the shotgun at her, motioning to the ponies behind to move. Gilda's eyes narrowed as she hissed at him.

'Do you know who I am?'

'About one wrong word away from pissing off an ODST with a loaded shotgun full of hurt. That, and I'm Ponyville's resident Knight of Equestria with orders to protect its inhabitants from harm.' He nodded at Rainbow Dash who had backed off. 'Last I checked she was a resident here. So I'll ask again. Put the claws away and you don't lose any vital organs and I don't have to mourn the loss of another shell.' He kept the gun aimed at her. More ponies moved out from behind her. Gilda's wings twitched slightly.

'Try it, and I swear you won't be able to run crying back home to your mommy.' The wings sheathed themselves as Gilda backed down. 'Better. Now fly on out of here before I decide you pose a threat and pull this trigger.' Gilda's face turned to a scowl.

'Just wait until my father hears about this.' She walked away before launching herself into the air. Fletcher kept the shotgun trained on her until she was lost to sight. The ponies gave a small cheer before returning to their daily business. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie walked over to Fletcher.

'What did you have to go and interrupt like that for?' Rainbow Dash yelled. 'I had her right where I wanted.' Fletcher raised an eyebrow.

'Ready to kill or maim you?'

'Yeah I- What?' Rainbow and Pinkie looked at him.

'Gilda. She looked ready to kill or maim you. She had her claws out ready.' Fletcher explained. 'If I hadn't stepped in he would have torn you to pieces.' A brief look of fear played across the Pegasus' face before it resumed her normal cocky one.

'I could have taken her.'

'Sure.' Fetcher said. 'Meanwhile, in reality, we would be picking you up with tweezers.' Pinkie bounced to Rainbow's defence.

'My Dashie would have wiped the floor with that meanie mean-pants.' Fletcher rolled his eyes in annoyance.

'What was she doing here anyway?' he asked. Equestria was at war with the griffins, though no one seemed to know that. Well, no one here at least. Rainbow Dash sighed.

'She said she was in the neighbourhood and decided to drop in. Unannounced. Though I think it was more to do with making fun of me.'

'Is that why she mentioned flight school?' Rainbow bristled at the mention. 'I'll take that as a yes then. And how did she get enrolled at Cloudsdale anyway? The nearest griffin town or city is over seven hundred kilometres away.'

'Her father managed to get her a place because he was some big shot in the griffin royalty. He's a prince or something.' That piqued Fletcher's interest.

'What's her father's name?'

'Luthor I think.' Fletcher felt his blood run cold. This whole situation just went from bad to worse.

'I need to speak to Twilight.' He began walking to the farm but was pulled back by Rainbow Dash.

'Not so fast. You still need to explain what is going on and you need to apologise for having me, AJ and Twilight arrested.' Fletcher sighed in annoyance.

'Firstly, I am not allowed to divulge classified information regarding what happens when I'm not here. Secondly, no. I won't apologise. You were all stopping me from doing my job and I had every right to arrest you.'

'The princess didn't seem to think so.' Fletcher bit his tongue, not wanting to voice his opinion on that. Instead, he gently brushed the hoof off of his shoulder.

'I need to see Twilight.' He walked away, this time successfully. Neither pony tried to stop him.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Five

Fletcher's greeting at Sweet Apple Acres wasn't the warmest he'd received. Everyone there acted cold towards him and eyed him with veiled anger, excluding Granny Smith. She was asleep as usual. Big Mac walked up to him.

'What are ya'll doing here?'

'I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia about an urgent matter.' Fletcher kept his shotgun slung across his back, but his hand hovered just above the pistol on his leg. Though he was tasked with protecting the inhabitants of Equestria, Fletcher had every right to defend himself against all threats. And right now, Big Mac felt like a threat.

'What kind of urgent matters?' Twilight had joined him, Spike right behind her. He had his arms crossed.

'I can't tell you.'

'Then you can't send any letters.' Spike nodded in agreement. Now Fletcher glared at them.

'You could be putting Equestria at risk by doing this.' he warned. Twilight shook her head.

'I'm pretty sure if Equestria was at risk, the princesses would let us know. And besides, I'm an Element of Harmony. I would probably feel it as well.' Fletcher raised an eyebrow.

'Like when Discord broke free? Did you feel that?' This threw Twilight off.

'Well, no. I didn't.' Fletcher looked to Applejack, standing on the porch with Applebloom and Winona.

'What about you? Did you feel Discord break free?' She said nothing. 'Didn't think so. Now, can I send a letter to the princess?'

'No. Not until you tell us what you are doing or you apologise for wrongfully arresting me.' Fletcher shook his head.

'Then I'm not sending any letters.'

'Ya'll need to apologise to Twilight and AJ for what you did.' Big Mac spoke in an even tone, but it was lacking his usual friendliness.

'And if I don't?'

'Then ya'll aren't welcome here no more.' Applejack had joined her brother and Twilight. 'And we'd like for ya to leave.' Fletcher crossed his arms.

'And then how am I meant to fulfil my duty as a Knight of Equestria?'

'Maybe they don't want you to protect them anymore.' Spike said. 'I'm not sure what it's like where you're from, but here we don't lie to each other. Or arrest our friends.' Fletcher glanced down at the small dragon. That was the most he'd ever heard the dragon say to him since he'd arrived. Mostly it was some small greetings if they saw each other.

'Is that the general feeling around here? You don't want me to protect you?' Applejack and Twilight nodded. 'What about the others?'

'They haven't said anything, but I think they feel the same.' Twilight said. 'But more importantly, Applejack and I don't want you looking after us until you apologise. So either say sorry or leave.' Fletcher shrugged and turned to go back to Ponyville.

'Have fun fighting bad guys. When you want me to take over, come find me. If I give a fuck, I might consider it.' He got as far as the outer boundaries of the farm before anything happened. First, he heard Spike send a message. Then a brief interlude of silence before something akin to an explosion sounded and Fletcher felt himself being held in a spell. His entire body tingled and itched madly as static washed over him.

'Fletcher.' It was Celestia and she sounded angry. Oh shit. He was spun to face the Alicorn, her mane flaring out behind her. 'Why have you abandoned your duties?' Her voice boomed across the countryside and one or two windows rattled.

'They said they didn't want me to protect them anymore.' Fletcher strained against the spell. 'And I don't feel like changing their minds.' Celestia brought him closer.

'Your orders are to protect the Elements. It is part of your duties as a Knight.' She glared at him. 'Or have you already forgotten?'

'No, I haven't forgotten. But like Spark said when I first came here, they can make their own decisions.'

'And that makes it okay? They keep this land in stability. They defeated Discord and the Gravemind, as well as giving me my sister back.' She gave Twilight a small smile at the memory.

'If they keep this land stable, why are the Griffins at war with Equestria?' Fletcher tried to break free of the spell but it was too powerful. His skin itched like crazy.

'We-we're at war?' Twilight gasped.

'Yeah. With Griffins. Didn't the princess here tell you?' Fletcher asked in mock surprise. 'But I thought she would tell you if Equestria was in danger.' Celestia silenced him with a glare.

'War? But for how long?' She looked at the princess. 'And why haven't you told us?'

'Please, Twilight. You must understand that I wanted to try and keep some semblance of order and not cause a mass panic.' She moved to nuzzle her student but Twilight backed away.

'You said you would tell me and the others if something like this ever happened.' She stood by Big Mac and Applejack. 'And you kept it a secret from us for how long?' Celestia bowed her head but kept Fletcher contained inside the spell.

'Three weeks now. But we have the upper hand. If the war was to turn against us, I would have told all of Equestria about it. But thanks to Fletcher here we can strike at them without exposing others to harm.' She released him. 'We can bring this whole war to a close without losing any more lives. But until it is over, I request that Fletcher stay as your guardian. The griffins know of your connection to me and would use it if they could to force a truce.' Fletcher shifted from foot to foot. He was unsure of what to do. Twilight and Applejack had said they didn't want him looking after them but Celestia had told him he should. He respected the princess to an extent but he also respected the decisions of the girls.

'But we don't feel like allowing it. Fletcher, I mean. We are a long way from griffin territory and they stick out amongst ponies.' Twilight leaned close to Big Mac. 'And besides, we can look after ourselves.' Fletcher let out a short laugh but closed his external speakers before doing so. They thought they could take on a griffin soldier? Yeah right.

'Twilight, I am only looking out for you and your friends. These griffins are not to be trifled with. And they are desperate to win at any costs. Fletcher has experience dealing with them and can protect you better. Please, Twilight. Let him watch over you. At least until the war is over. Then you may relieve him of his duties.' The unicorn shifted on her feet.

'I don't know. I'd prefer to talk with the others before we say anything.' Celestia nodded, reluctantly.

'Send me a letter with your decision. As for you,' She rounded on Fletcher. 'You are to provide security for the six of them until they reach a decision. Understand?' Fletcher nodded. Celestia vanished in a flash of light, leaving them alone. He turned to face the gathered ponies.

'So, how long do you think it'll be before you reach a decision?'

'I'm not sure. But we'll tell you.'

'Yeah, but for now, can you please leave?' Applejack asked, walking towards him. Big Mac nodded in agreement with his sister.

'Fine. Bye.' Fletcher left, returning to his home. He sat on his bed, thinking. What would he do if they decided to refuse his protection? Would he be forced to leave Ponyville and stay at the castle in Canterlot? Or would he be allowed to stay, just not allowed to keep an eye on them? Whatever their decision, he would respect it. And besides, he would still be alive. Shrugging, Fletcher pulled out the small rucksack that had come with the ODST armour he had once worn. It fitted his SPI armour and was big enough to fit everything he owned, weapons and ammunition included. Moore had provided him with close to two thousand reloads for each weapon, stored in their own small box employing Time Lord science as she called it. The weapons could even be placed inside. Fletcher packed the shotgun, sniper rifle, rocket launcher and SMG into their boxes and placed them into the bag. He kept the MA5K and pistol out and put their ammunition boxes in, along with the others. The grenades he hadn't used were stowed as well, leaving the MRE box as the last to be packed. So now he would wait. For a new mission or for the girls to make a decision, whichever came first.

They made their decision first. He was running though his usual workout when the girls approached him. Their lack of enthusiasm or happy faces told him what he needed to know.

'You don't want me to protect you.' Fletcher deduced. They nodded. 'Have you sent the princess a letter?'

'Yes. She sent one back asking for you to stay in Ponyville until the griffin situation has been dealt with. Then she wants you to go to the castle.' Twilight levitated the scroll over, allowing him to read it for himself.

'If that is your wish.' Another nod. 'Okay then. See you around town I guess.' Fletcher resumed his workout as the girls left. He was, unofficially, off duty. Ponyville was miles from the nearest Griffin encampment and would be very low down on the list of places to attack, the girls had relieved him of his duties and the princess wanted him to stay here until the war was over. He had free time. So what could he do? The mayor had banned him from buying alcohol at Twilight's insistence, so getting drunk wasn't an option. He could always go on a small expedition into the Everfree Forest, see what was so bad about the place. Fletcher vetoed that idea. He'd been asked to stay in Ponyville. Wandering through the forest was _outside _Ponyville. Fletcher glanced at his left arm. He still had his iPod, and with it over forty hours of songs and videos he hadn't had much of a chance to listen to since arriving. And Sugarcube Corner did have a very inviting roof. He shrugged and began to climb.

Three days. Three days was all he had before someone began screaming his name about something. Fletcher groaned and sat up, pausing the song he was listening to. A Pegasus was flying all over town, panic stricken and looking for him. Fletcher whistled to get his or her attention. Immediately the pony landed next to him and Fletcher recognised it as Flash, Rainbow Dash's subordinate weather manager. He was spouting words at a thousand a minute.

'Whoa, calm down. What's the big deal?' It took several tries for the stallion to slow his words enough to speak coherently.

'Griffins... Ponies... Attacked... Twilight... Help.' Fletcher felt his blood run cold. Griffins had attacked ponies? And one of them was Twilight? He grabbed Flash.

'Where? Tell me.' Flash pointed in the direction of Whitetail woods.

'The main path, about three or four miles in. They jumped Twilight and two others. I was clearing the sky and-' Fletcher cut him off.

'Not important. Go to the hospital and get some doctors who can either perform surgery out in the wild or get some who can bring them back here quickly, then take them to where you saw Twilight and the others.' Fletcher released the pony and jumped to the ground below, readying his rifle. Flash flew off to the hospital as Fletcher began running to where the griffins were supposed to be. He called the region up on his map, scowling. It would take him about ten minutes at a dead sprint to get there.

Fletcher arrived slightly out of breath at where the griffins were supposed to be, only to find the area deserted. He stopped and looked around for any sign of where they might be. Here and there were claw and hoof prints, at least five different griffins and three ponies. Then he found the blood. Not a lot at first, but as he followed the trail into the forest, more appeared. Fletcher made sure his rifle was loaded and his camouflage system was active before entering the forest. Twigs were bent and snapped, forming a path he could follow. The blood was smeared on the grass, meaning someone had been dragged away. For some reason he imagined it was Twilight, unconscious and badly beaten.

Voices up ahead alerted Fletcher he was close. The five griffins he had set out to find? He paused, listening to the tone of the voices. They were low and rumbled. Definitely griffins, though one was slightly higher pitched than the others. A female griffin. Then he realised something. There were only four voices, not five. A few scenarios played in his mind. One, the fifth griffin was either mute or didn't like speaking. Two, Flash had been wrong in his initial guess of five griffins. Or three, there was one unaccounted for. This last thought made him shiver. Crouching, Fletcher made his way closer to the voices. He stopped when he could hear them clearly.

'Why are we waiting again?' One voice asked.

'Because Monroe wanted some alone time with that stupid pony.' The female voice answered. 'You sure you're alright Geoff? He's only been gone for ten minutes.'

'No. That stupid orange pony bucked me pretty hard in the head.' The voice winced, possibly touching a wound. 'Not sure if I should feel sorry he picked her or thankful. She deserves everything she gets.' A laugh sounded around the group.

'Hell, considering what this yellow one looks like, I might do the same as Monroe and have some _alone time _with her.' This was a new voice. 'It's not like the purple one can offer much. Hey Gilda, why did we get sent here anyway?' Fletcher felt his stomach drop. Gilda was here?

'Because we're supposed to get this one back to my father so he can force a truce. She has some sway with Celestia, apparently.' Gilda explained. 'Just as soon as Monroe is finished.'

'That could be a while.' A fourth voice muttered. Gilda laughed a little.

'It's not his fault he can hold it back for so long.' She sighed. 'I just wish he would spend some more time with me and not these stupid ponies.' She grunted and Fletcher imagined her kicking one of her captives. A short scream made his head snap round as he looked for the source. It was to his left, past a small copse of trees. Gilda groaned.

'I keep telling him not to use his claws! Geoff, go tell him to hurry up. We need to get out of here before that weird guard thing the princesses have turns up.'

_Too late, _Fletcher thought. He moved off after the griffin had, holstering his rifle and unsheathing his combat knife. Geoff appeared in front of him, not noticing the human, and walked on. Fletcher matched his pace then surpassed it before clamping his hand over the griffin's beak and plunging the knife into his throat. Geoff tried to speak but it came out as a gurgle through Fletcher's hand, too quiet to hear. The knife was plunged deeper into the throat before being dragged to nearly sever the head off. Fletcher dumped the body and retrieved his knife, kicking the corpse. More screams up ahead drew him closer to where Monroe and his victim were. Fletcher crouched and peered through some ferns. His heart felt like it stopped beating entirely. In front of him was Monroe. Raping Applejack. Fletcher's mind went blank as his body reacted with prompting. He screamed and burst from his hiding place, knife held high.

Monroe whipped his head round just in time to see a fern explode and tackle him from the pony beneath him, screaming a feral cry. Then he felt a sharp point slice his flesh open over and over again before he could even register what was going on. By the time his brain had even caught up, the fern monster had stabbed him over twenty times and continued to do so. He felt the knife pierce a lung before lodging there. Then the fern began pummelling him without remorse, still screaming at him as his head was beaten to a bloody pulp. His last memory was of a green fist heading for his eyes when everything went black.

Fletcher must have sat atop the dead griffin for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes. He was breathing heavily as he stared down at the bloody corpse, only vaguely aware of the environment around him. Slowly, his mind calmed down and resumed control over his body. He felt shaky, and disgusted. This thing had been raping Applejack. No,he wasn't even worthy of the title thing. Out of frustration Fletcher brought his fist down on the head again, crushing the skull, before retrieving his knife. He stood, unsteadily, and sheathed the bloodied weapon. Behind him, a feeble cry made him turn around. Applejack was still lying on the floor, covered in cuts and bruises. She flinched as he placed a hand on her.

'Don't worry. Help is coming. I've just got to save the others.' He removed his hand and drew his pistol, a cold rage filling him. Gilda wouldn't live to see the day end.

The three remaining griffins were huddled around a small clearing in the forest, keeping an eye on their two prisoners. Fletcher noted it was Twilight and Fluttershy, both covered in bruises and cuts. Fluttershy would twitch every now and then but Twilight remained motionless, clutching her stomach. He drew his pistol and fired at the two male griffins, killing them instantly before shooting Gilda in the wing and both front legs. She collapsed to the ground, crying in pain as Fletcher walked over to her.

'Gilda, Gilda, Gilda. You are so royally fucked for what you and your friends did here today.' Fletcher brought his boot down on her leg, snapping it. She screamed. 'But first, I'm going to ask you some questions. For every answer I get that I like, you live a little longer. For everyone I don't like, you lose an appendage.' Her eyes shrank as he leaned forward, pulling out his knife and grabbing her broken leg.

'Now, first question.' He pressed the blade into the wound. Gilda screamed again.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Six

Fletcher tilted Gilda's head one way then the other, checking for any sign of life. There weren't any. She had managed to keep three of her legs and a wing before Fletcher had run out of questions for her. Then she'd just died before him. Blood loss or shock, he didn't care. He was just glad she was dead and a little upset he hadn't made her suffer more. To his left Fluttershy had managed to raise a shaking head to see what had happened and saw him crouched over Gilda, knife in hand. She fainted. Leaving the corpse, Fletcher moved to check on the two ponies. Both were still alive, but Twilight's breathing was ragged and Fluttershy seemed to have a broken wing and leg. He tried to make them as comfortable as possible before going to check Applejack. She hadn't moved since he'd tackled and killed Monroe. She seemed comatose.

'Applejack?' Fletcher asked, shaking her gently. She blinked and looked in his direction. 'It's Michael. Are you okay?' She didn't answer or do anything to indicate she'd heard or understood him.

'Come on, let's get you up and back to the others.' Fletcher managed to coax her to her feet and led her back to the clearing with Twilight and Fluttershy. She followed without saying anything and sat when he prompted her to.

'Flash, where the hell are you?' Fletcher asked aloud, looking up to the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pegasus. As if on cue, voices could be heard and grew louder with each passing second. Fletcher got to his feet and drew his rifle, aiming in the direction the noise was coming from.

'Sir Fletcher? Sir Fletcher? Can you hear me? It's Flash. I've got the doctors.' Fletcher relaxed and called out.

'Over here. And hurry.' A few moments later the Pegasus appeared, leading several doctors through the forest. They immediately set about checking the wounded ponies, ignoring the griffins.

'What happened?' one asked.

'They got jumped by five griffins and beaten. The unicorn is pregnant so I'd recommend she gets priority.' The doctor nodded and directed two of his colleagues to place Twilight on a stretcher. They did and vanished in a flash of light, teleporting back to the hospital presumably.

'What about these two?'

'The Pegasus has a few broken bones, her wing and a leg mostly. The Earth pony was...' Fletcher trailed off, not wanting to say the next few words. He slapped himself on the side of his head and forced himself to speak. 'She was raped by a griffin.' If the doctor was fazed by this he didn't show it.

'Alright. We'll get these two back to the hospital and then I'm going to need you to tell me what happened afterwards.' Fletcher nodded as the doctor helped the others set Fluttershy's wing and leg in temporary casts before teleporting away, leaving Fletcher and Flash alone in the clearing. Unlike the doctors, Flash was unsettled by the presence of the griffin corpses, even turning pale but managed to keep himself from throwing up.

'Thanks for bringing the doctors so quickly.' Fletcher said, patting the Pegasus on the back before heading back to the main path. Flash shook his head, clearing the cobwebs.

'What about the bodies? You can't just leave them here.' Fletcher stopped to look at the pony.

'I can and I will. Those bastards don't deserve a proper burial. Not after what they did.' He turned back to the path. 'Come on. Sun will be down in an hour or so and I need to give a statement.' Flash took a look around, unsure. 'Unless you want to stay around a bunch of dead bodies. Then that's fine by me.' Fletcher started walking and was joined quickly by the weather pony. They made it back to the town and hospital just as the sun was kissing the horizon. Fletcher led the way inside and was immediately mobbed by Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and an angry looking Big Mac. He barged towards Fletcher, pinning him against a wall.

'WHAT HAPPENED TO MAH SISTER AND TWILIGHT?' he yelled. 'WHAT HAPPENED?' Fletcher tried to wriggle free but the massive Earth pony kept him pinned.

'I can't tell you whilst you've got me against the wall.'

'Ah don't care. Now tell me WHAT HAPPENED!' Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on Fletcher's faceplate.

'Fine. But you might want to sit down.' Big Mac didn't move. 'Please, this isn't the sort of thing you want to hear standing up.' The farmer relented and followed Fletcher the waiting room, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash already sitting down. Fletcher leaned against a wall, trying to figure out how best to say it.

'They were jumped by a griffin long range patrol,' He eventually said. 'And taken prisoner. They were beaten and Fluttershy had her wing and leg broken. Twilight was beaten the worst it seems by the griffins and Applejack was...' He swallowed, trying to bring himself to say the words.

'Applejack was... what?' Big Mac asked. Fletcher swore under his breath before continuing.

'She was raped. By one of the griffins.' The room fell silent. Big Mac tried to say something but nothing could be heard. The girls started to cry a little.

'Wh-what happened to the-the griffin that...' Big Mac couldn't bring himself to say the word. 'You know, to Applejack?'

'I stabbed him about thirty odd times before beating him to death.' Fletcher said. 'I'm sorry I couldn't get to them sooner.' The farmer's face hardened at this.

'If ya'll had apologised when ya had the chance, none of this would have happened.' Big Mac's voice was low. He looked up at Fletcher, hatred in his eyes. 'If ya'll weren't so stubborn mah sister and the mother of mah child wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed after being attacked and violated.' He stood, now looking the human directly in the face. Fletcher's hand touched the butt of his pistol and stayed there.

'And how would any of this been averted?' Fletcher asked.

'They said they didn't want you to protect them, all because ya'll wouldn't say sorry to them. If ya had said sorry, they would have let you stay and ya'll could have been with them when they got jumped!' He shoved his face against Fletcher's. 'If anything happens to them because of this, it'll be on your head.'

'No it won't.' Fletcher shot back. 'She knew the risks she and the others faced. She was the stubborn one. They all were!' Big Mac head butted Fletcher without warning, whipping his head back and knocking him off balance. Fletcher drew his pistol and aimed it at the pony.

'Do that again, I'll put a round through your leg.' The red stallion narrowed his eyes.

'Ya'll wouldn't.'

'Try me. I'm a big believer in self defence. And that was an unprovoked attack.' Big Mac snorted.

'Ya'll said mah sister brought this on herself. That's reason enough.'

'And you just attacked the guy who saved her, Fluttershy and your girlfriend.' Fletcher rubbed a small mark on his faceplate. 'You have a very strange way of saying thanks.'

'Fletcher, put that away.' A voice boomed from behind. Fletcher obeyed without thinking and holstered the pistol. He span around to see both princesses standing in the entrance of the hospital, worry on their faces. Fletcher and the others bowed. Celestia walked over to the two of them, standing between them.

'Fletcher, I will have words with you later. Big Mac, I am sorry for what happened to your sister and Twilight. But striking Fletcher will not help matters nor is it advisable to do so. He is a dangerous foe.' The pony dipped his head. 'Instead, hope for a swift recovery.' She sat down on a nearby seat, Luna joining her. Fletcher leaned against the wall opposite and crossed his arms. Big Mac finally returned to his seat before collapsing into sobs, the enormity of the situation finally sinking in. Pinkie tried to comfort him, her mane deflated. Rainbow Dash tried as well, wrapping a wing around him. It did nothing to comfort him. This went on for several minutes until he began speaking again.

'H-how could it happen again?' That raised several eyebrows.

'How could what happen again?' Luna asked. Big Mac glanced at her, his eyes red raw.

'A-Applejack. She's been a-attacked before.' This brought on a fresh wave of sobbing.

'When was she attacked?' Rarity whispered, horrified at the idea Applejack had been raped before.

'Sh-she had just gotten back f-from Manehatten and was looking after Applebloom. Ma and Pa had left for Las Pegasus to go to some wedding, leaving me, Granny Smith, Applejack and Applebloom on the farm. Me and Granny Smith were working the far orchards and Applejack was looking after Applebloom. She'd been born a week or two before Applejack left for the city and was still finding her feet when she got back.' He stopped, swallowing as bad memories surfaced.

'You don't have to tell us if you don't want to.' Celestia told him. Big Mac shook his head.

'Ya'll need to hear it.' He took a breath before continuing. 'Ah'm not sure what she was doing but from what we could piece together a unicorn stallion walked up to the house one day and started talking to Applejack. When he found out she was alone, he used his magic to- to force her down in the barn and,' Big Mac shuddered. 'Raped her. She was barely older than Applebloom is now.' The room became silent once more, Big Mac's occasional sobbing not included.

'Did they ever find the bastard who did it?' Fletcher asked quietly.

'No. But we got a good description from Caramel and Golden Harvest.' Big Mac shuddered again as he thought of the unicorn. 'He was dark brown, really dark with a silver mane.'

'What about his cutie mark?'

'They didn't get a good look at that, he moved too fast for them to see.' He bowed his head. 'And something else happened to AJ that day.' He stopped, looking down at the floor. Tears occasionally fell from his eyes.

'What happened to AJ?' Rainbow Dash asked. The others looked at him, waiting.

'She-she got pregnant.' A collective gasp went round.

'What? She had that-that thing's kid?' Rarity whispered. Big Mac shook his head.

'She got rid of it just after she found out. Didn't want her first foal to come from that.' He shook his head. 'But it didn't seem like she'd ever find the right stallion after what happened. She lost her nerve and never went on a date again. Heck, she only just recently began to get some confidence back.' He snorted derisively. 'Like that'll happen now.' Fletcher felt cold anger rise up inside him.

'Would Applejack know what that unicorn's cutie mark looked like?' Celestia looked at him, eyeing him with suspicion.

'Maybe. She ain't never talked about what happened much. Ah reckon she blocked it out for the most part.' Damn. That would make his job that bit harder. Celestia rose and motioned for Fletcher to follow. When they were far enough away she turned to face him.

'I know what you're thinking. And the answer is no. You are a Royal Guard, not a vigilante. Unless we find him and he poses too much for the proper authorities to handle, we will allow you to deal with him. But you are ordered not to seek him out.' She stared into Fletcher's eyes. 'Do you understand?'

'Yes ma'am.' She relaxed slightly.

'Good. Now, tell me what happened to Twilight and the others. And what happened to the griffins and why they were here.' Before he could answer her questions a unicorn doctor pushed past them, bowing as he did so, and sought out Big Mac and took him to a far corner of the room. The farmer was made to sit whilst the doctor said something. Even without his armour's ability to amplify most sounds, Fletcher could tell by the doctor's face and Big Mac's reaction it wasn't good news. The doctor offered some condolence before leaving the waiting room. About a minute after had had gone, Big Mac broke down into tears and collapsed on the floor. All but Fletcher and Celestia moved to comfort him and find out what had happened.

'Princess, permission to leave Ponyville.'

'Why?' Big Mac continued to wail, the soothing words of the ponies around him doing nothing to resolve his anguish.

'To get the bastard who killed Twilight and Big Mac's child.' She nodded. 'I'll need transport to take me as close to Griffonia as possible. But don't tell them to stay. I'll walk back. Hopefully.'

'Can I assume you don't intend to follow the rule of law when you meet this person?' Celestia asked.

'No. This guy told Gilda to get Twilight back to him so they could force a truce with you. He made no order they should be unharmed and Gilda got a little physical when she was taking them back.' He clenched his hands into fists before allowing them to relax. 'And consider this another attempt to shorten the war.'

'Why? Is your target somepony important?' Fletcher nodded.

'Their king doesn't get much more important, does it?' Celestia's mouth dropped open.

'You're going to kill their king?' she asked, nearly shrieking.

'No, I'm going to kill the bastard whose need to live got an unborn child killed. He isn't a king. Not by a long shot.' By now, Big Mac had quietened down a little, still surrounded by the girls and Luna. Fletcher walked over, kneeling in front of him.

'I'm sorry about your loss. Truly, I am. And I know it's no consolation, but I'll get the piece of shit that caused it and make him rue the day he ever gave the order.' He stood. 'Princess, I'm going to need that chariot pretty quickly.'

They'd managed to get him about halfway to his target before griffin air patrols had gotten too thick to easily evade. Fletcher had told them to leave and go back, saying he'd walk the rest of the way. It had taken over a week to reach the city and it was still as oppressive as ever. Guards were posted at regular intervals near ever entrance, stopping and checking every griffin that entered or left the city. Fletcher studied the guards and their positions and decided to wait for nightfall. His armour would make it impossible for them to see him and he could more than likely walk right past them and straight up to the castle. He just hoped Luthor was there, or this would have been a wasted journey.

His entry to the city wasn't as clean as he'd hoped. The route he'd used had made a lot of noise and had alerted two nearby guards that something was there. He'd killed them as quietly as possible but more came and he had to waste precious ammunition to escape. Swearing under his breath, Fletcher sprinted as quietly and stealthily as possible to the castle, climbing up the same stretch of wall he'd used before and entered the through the same window. Nothing had changed, aside from a box or two being stored there. Drawing his rifle, Fletcher set out for the throne room. The late night worked in his favour as he encountered no griffins either in the corridors or the throne room itself. Uncoiling a rope from his shoulder, Fletcher threw it around one of the rafters above and pulled himself up, settling against the joint and waited for dawn.

He didn't sleep, fearing he would lose his balance and fall. Instead he downed caffeine tablets to keep himself awake and alert for when the time was right. The sun crept higher as five or so griffins entered. Fletcher raised his pistol but lowered it. None of them were Luthor, merely the early morning staff who would clean the room and assume the role of aides when the king finally entered. It would be another hour before his target appeared and took his place on the throne. He seemed distracted and slightly concerned with something.

'Any word on my daughter?' he asked. One of the aides bowed as he stepped closer.

'No your majesty. She hasn't been seen since you sent her away.' He bowed again and stepped back. If it weren't for why he was here, Fletcher might have let out a small laugh. But his face was set in a dark but neutral look. He reached into one of the compartments on his armour and retrieved what was inside: a rough silver pendant with the griffin emblem on one side a stylised G on the other. He'd taken it from Gilda before she died and now threw it at the feet of the griffin king. Luthor tentatively picked it up before dropping it in surprise.

'No. It-it can't be.' He frantically searched the room, trying to spot whoever might have thrown it. 'She can't be.' He stood, earning several concerned glances from the other griffins. 'Show yourself. I order you to show yourself.' Fetcher raised his pistol and aimed at the five aides, dispatching them within four seconds. Now he aimed at the king, firing and hitting his right foreleg.

'That was for Fluttershy.' Another shot, this time the left leg. 'Applejack.' Luthor tried to flap his wings and escape but Fletcher put a round in each wing. 'That was for Twilight.' Luthor collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain. Fletcher tied one end of the rope to the rafter and threw the rest down, using it to descend to the floor. He deactivated his camouflage system and stared at the crippled griffin. His eyes widened in fear and hatred.

'You know, your daughter was quite talkative at the end. Told me anything to stop me from hurting her. And one of those things was that you'd ordered her to kidnap someone and bring them here. A close friend of mine. One who was pregnant as well.' He began walking closer to Luthor. 'I say was. She had a miscarriage a week ago, all because of your daughter who was acting on your command.' Fletcher raised the pistol again and shot Luthor's back legs, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. 'Now, she died before I could do anything bad to her aside from cutting off a leg and a wing. But you, I think I might have some fun before I kill you.' He pulled out his knife, still covered with blood.

'You-you'll never get me to say anything.' Luthor gasped. Fletcher shook his head.

'I don't want information. I want to make you suffer like you made Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh suffer. And considering they lost their unborn child, I have a lot of work to do.' He grabbed Luthor's leg and brought the knife down; severing the bond it had with the rest of his body. He howled in pain until Fletcher punched him in the mouth, cracking his jaw and several teeth.

'Shut up.' He reached for the next leg, repeating the process until all four had been removed. Luthor was whimpering now, tears rolling down his face. 'Oh, we're not done yet.' Fletcher extended one of his wings and hacked away at the joint but the blade wasn't sharp enough so Fletcher just left it, doing the same to the other one. Blood pooled around the two with more spilling out. Fletcher was surprised the griffin had lasted this long.

'Soon be over, you piece of shit.' Fletcher announced as he held the tail and slashed away at the base before eventually pulling out his pistol and shooting the bone. The tail dropped to the floor.

'Had enough?' Fletcher asked. Luthor nodded weakly. 'Then let me hear you say it.'

'Please, please stop.' The words were mumbled and though he knew what Luthor had said, he had to be sure.

'I'm sorry. What was that?'

'Stop. Please.'

'Ah, that's better. So you want me to stop, is that it?' Luthor nodded. 'Okay, I'll stop. Just as soon as you apologise for letting your daughter beat an expectant mother.' Luthor shook his head.

'I-I'll never apologise. You can beat me all you want, I'll never do that.'

'Suit yourself.' Fletcher brought the knife down on the griffin's back and dragged it across, tearing through the flesh and tendons. Luthor howled until Fletcher clamped down on his mouth and jammed the knife into his throat, twisting it around. The griffin gasped for air and writhed on the floor after Fletcher removed the knife and stepped back. It took several minutes until he died, severed limbs and blood surrounding him. Fletcher sheathed the knife and drew his rifle as he breathed his last.

'That was for their kid.' He turned and walked to the double doors, opening them and walking out. He fired at griffins as the approached, not caring if they were armed or not. In his mind, they were all as bad as each other. By the time he reached the edge of the city, the griffins had learned to leave him alone. No matter how many they sent he would kill them without suffering so much as a scratch and kept on walking. The guards on duty by the gates tried in vain to kill him but were overpowered by the human and soon ran away. Now free to leave, Fletcher walked back to Ponyville, back home.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Seven

Fletcher was able to make it back to Ponyville without incident and replenished his ammunition at home. His body ached and his stomach pined for food but he only had enough time to down a cold MRE before heading out to the hospital. As he walked he spotted the Royal Chariot fly down and deposit two figures before flying off again. Fletcher hoped it was the princesses.

There were a few ponies in the waiting room but Fletcher had never seen them before and he waited there until a nurse pointed down a corridor where he should go. He nodded his thanks before walking down the hallway past several rooms until he reached one with two Royal Guards standing outside. The snapped to attention at the sight of Fletcher who saluted back as he entered the room. There were three beds, each one occupied by a pony, and a multitude of chairs scattered around the room. The princesses, Big Mac and the girls were spread out in the chairs, talking with each other and the three in bed. They all looked round when he stepped into the room and let out varying greetings. Big Mac said and did nothing whilst the girls said a brief hello. Celestia and Luna nodded and waved to a chair in the far corner. He sat and sank back into the cushions, sighing a little.

'Has it been taken care of?' Celestia asked. Fletcher nodded. 'I wish I could say I'm upset about what you did to him, but cannot bring myself to think like that.' She looked at Twilight, a sad look on her face at her student's misfortune. Fletcher looked at the three ponies lying in bed in turn. Fluttershy was furthest from him and seemed to be the most alert. She had a wing and leg in a cast, but apart from that she was fine. Applejack and Twilight, however, weren't so good. The Earth pony was merely staring the ceiling above, blinking every now and then. Fletcher spotted the odd tear roll down her cheeks to join a steadily growing stain on the pillow. The unicorn was more alert but had a similar blank look to Applejack. She would make eye contact with Big Mac and receive a weak smile before looking away again. The stallion would lose his smile when she did this.

'Michael, may we speak alone, outside?' Celestia stood and led him outside past the guards and into an empty room. 'Shortly after your chariot returned, the griffin army retreated without warning and returned back to their original pre-war positions. We have since received an official document bearing the crest of the Griffin Kingdom stating their intention to surrender following the death of both their high command and king.'

'Is it trustworthy?' Fletcher asked.

'Yes. Our troops have demilitarised their army and are currently overseeing the dismantling of their military's infrastructure.' She gave him a sad smile. 'We have won, Michael. And it is thanks to you that we have done so quickly and with minimal loss of life on both sides.'

'I'm sensing a but here.'

'Unfortunately, you cannot be credited for your actions. If the other nations were to discover Equestria has an alien warrior fighting for it, they would call for your immediate banishment from these lands or have you closely monitored or even experimented upon.'

'They can try.' Fletcher muttered. 'And I don't really care if I'm not mentioned. The less people know, the happier I am.'

'Oh, well that takes care of that then.'

'So, what happens now? I mean, the Elements don't want me to protect them anymore and the war is over. Does that mean I'm supposed to stay in the castle until my next assignment?'

'Yes. But you are to fulfil the role of a guard more than before.' She sat down on the bed. 'There are reports of a cult calling itself the Mind of the Grave starting to appear all over Equestria, including Canterlot.'

'Mind of the Grave?' Fletcher asked. Celestia nodded. 'Shit. The Gravemind said it had started a cult. Well, it had to rear its head sometime. You think they pose a threat, don't you?'

'Yes. There are scattered reports of what they believe, but one common to all of the them is that they believe they owe no allegiance to my sister or myself and that they brand their cutie marks off and replace them with a symbol that represents the Gravemind.'

'A hexagon with spikes coming from the bottom three sides?' Celestia nodded. 'Thought so. That's what the Fore- uh, my people used to signify the Gravemind.'

'But only those of high status and devotion to the cult have these marks. As our guard, you would be able to act on a moment's notice should anything occur.'

'What about the Elements?' Fletcher asked. The Gravemind would have had a vendetta against them even before his death and could have given a long term plan to a cult member to execute at a later date.

'They will be offered protection at some point, to even be allowed to stay at the castle but I do not see that happening. This cult may lose momentum and topple before it can pose a serious threat. And if it does present a real and dangerous one, we still have the Dyson Procedure.' Fletcher touched one of the many compartments on his armour, making sure what was hidden there was there.

'That we do. But if we go down that route, what would my orders be?' The princess pondered this for a few seconds before answering.

'Above all else you must make sure we do not get captured. But other than that you are to retake the city as best you can.' She stood. 'We should go back. The others may be getting worried.'

'Yes ma'am.' The two returned to the room and sat and chatted for most of the day with the others though Fletcher found it hard to stay awake. He'd been walking for nearly three weeks straight and hadn't had more than four hours sleep a night when he was lucky. Eventually the princesses and the girls said goodbye and left, leaving Big Mac to stay with the three patients. He'd refused to leave them and slept in one of the chairs at night. Fletcher was dropped off near his house to retrieve his equipment before heading back to Canterlot where he was shown to a spare room and finally allowed to sleep.

The next few months fell into a routine. The princesses would stay in Canterlot, dealing with whatever they had to deal with before visiting Twilight and the others every few days. Throughout it all, Fletcher accompanied them everywhere, warily eyeing every pony he saw and his hands never far from his weapons. Eventually the girls were discharged from the hospital but had to go back every week or so for counselling. Applejack had finally opened up about the unicorn that had attacked her, describing his cutie mark well enough to create an accurate drawing. Fletcher had studied it, a wrench and screwdriver crossed over an oil can, and memorised it though the princesses had warned him about actively seeking the culprit. He'd assured them he wouldn't go looking but promised himself he would shoot the bastard if he ever saw the pony in the street.

Fletcher caught his mind drifting again as the chariot touched down outside Sweet Apple Acres, images of hunting down Oil Can pony and shooting him filling his head. He snapped back to reality and hopped out, scanning the area for hostiles before holstering his rifle. Behind him the princesses dismounted and walked over to the farmhouse. Applebloom was idly repairing one of the hinges on the door when they appeared. She bowed and let them through. Fletcher allowed himself a small smile. Ever since he'd helped the Cutie Mark Crusaders find their cutie marks, Applebloom was always fixing something or another around the farm, much to the delight of her siblings as it helped to keep costs down. And meant she was less likely to injure herself now she was no longer trying everything to find her cutie mark. Twilight was flicking through a book but her glazed eyes told them she wasn't reading it. The loss of the baby had hit her badly and Fletcher wondered if she was suffering from depression. She looked up when the princesses entered and her eyes seemed to revert to normal.

'Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. Hi.' She ignored Fletcher and offered the two sisters a place to sit. Footsteps sounded from the stairs and Applejack walked into view.

'Howdy, princesses. Michael.' He nodded at her. 'How's things in Canterlot?'

'Hectic. We're busy preparing for the Grand Galloping Gala and needed to escape for a few hours.' Celestia said. 'That and we came to invite you.' Applejack and Twilight exchanged looks.

'Um, last year didn't go so well and I don't think the other ponies would be happy to see us.' Twilight said, cringing at the memory. Celestia laughed.

'My dear Twilight, the reason I invited you and your friends was to liven the party up. Which you did.' Images of a psychotic Fluttershy flared into Fletcher's mind. Twilight and Applejack grinned a little.

'Ah suppose. But to be honest, Ah don't feel much like going.' Applejack admitted. 'What with all that happened recently, Ah don't think Ah could stand the crowds.' Celestia's face fell slightly.

'I understand that, but nopony has ever caused any trouble at the Gala. And if they did, the Royal Guards would be able to deal with them.' Eyes flickered towards Fletcher. 'Please girls, you have had some traumatic experiences recently and an event like this could take your mind off of them if only for a short while.' They relented and accepted the two tickets and an additional one for Big Mac but said it would depend on how they felt as to whether they actually made an appearance. The rest of the visit was spent chatting about anything and everything and eating slices of apple pie before the visitors had to leave, stopping only to deliver tickets to the other Elements.

Fletcher was sat on one of the many rafters supporting the roof in the main hall at the castle. Below him was a sea of fancily dressed ponies milling about, listening to classical music and eating appetisers from one of the many buffet tables scattered around: the Gala in all its glory. And he felt monumentally bored. It had been a little over an hour and a half since the party had started and so far the most exciting thing he'd done was climb into position. Somewhere in the masses below were both the Elements and the princesses. He had orders to protect all eight of them, but the crowds and a need to mingle had made that task impossible. All he could do was wait and hope this night would go off without a hitch. He sighed and leaned back against a joint and let his eyes wander over the crowd. Most of the guests were unicorns but there were quite a few Earth ponies here and there. Most of the Pegasi were either part of the Wonderbolts or watching them perform outside. He pulled up one of the videos he had stored on his iPod and tried to watch it but felt his eyes slip to the crowd below him. He closed the video and listened to his songs instead. Here and there were Royal Guards, a more apparent security presence than he was in the rafters, making sure that the guests were behaving properly or giving directions. Fletcher idly fiddled with the temperature controls on his armour before giving up and leaning back again.

'So fucking bored.' He muttered. Three more hours passed until the party began to wind down. The hall had emptied to about half its usual capacity. The princesses and the Elements had gathered and were now chatting about something or another, laughing every now and then. Celestia looked to where he was sat and nodded. Fletcher deactivated his camouflage and threw down a length of rope to safely make it to the floor. A few of the remaining guests shrieked in surprise at his sudden appearance and backed away. Celestia let out a small laugh before waving him over.

'Have fun up there?' she asked. Fletcher grunted.

'No. Part of me wished something would happen and the other part agreed.' He removed his helmet and moved to the remains of the buffet table, picking through the various cheeses and salad dishes until he had a plate full. 'The only thing that kept me sane was my iPod. Barely.' The food was demolished quickly and he set the plate down on a nearby chair and donned his helmet.

'You found the Gala boring?' Rarity shook her head. 'Well I guess it isn't for everypony.'

'You try sitting in the same position for five hours without anything to do and tell me it was fun.' Fletcher muttered. The girls resumed chatting to each other as he scanned the ponies remaining in the hall. By now the castle staff had started to clean up the mess of the party and tried to get the hall back to its normal state. Luna came and sat next to him, asking him about his life before arriving in Equestria. He kept it brief and steered the conversation towards her life story. But as she was launching into her readjustment to life after a thousand years imprisoned in the room, Fletcher's radio came to life and broadcast a single beep every two seconds. His blood ran cold as he reached for his rifle and stood.

'Princess, we might have a problem.' The conversations stopped.

'How bad?' Celestia asked.

'Not sure. It's just came on and it's one every two seconds.' Celestia stood and looked round.

'But it doesn't sound like there's a problem.'

'To bring the EBS online takes two ponies to throw both switches and a third to power it up.' Fletcher moved himself between the princesses and the remaining guests. 'It can't come on by accident.' The clatter of hooves and swords sounded from the main foyer as the beeping sped up to one a second.

'She just hit one per second. We may need to go Dyson.' Fletcher aimed his rifle towards the sounds of battle. 'Princesses, you might want to prepare yourself.

'Wait, wait, wait. What is an EBS and what does 'go Dyson' mean?' Twilight asked.

'Not important right now.' Several guards ran to the double doors leading into the hall. Fletcher reached into one of the compartments his armour had and pulled out a clear crystal cube. 'If I say get in, get everyone in.' The sounds of battle faded, only to be replaced by something ramming against the doors. The few guards braced themselves against it, trying to prevent whoever it was from getting in. Here and there the door splintered under the battering of the attackers.

'Twilight, you and the others need to stand between Luna and myself until I say otherwise. If you feel a sharp pain or nausea, don't worry, everything will be okay.' Celestia said. The girls and Big Mac did as she asked and looked at each other, bewildered by the turn of events. Celestia levitated the cube from Fletcher and placed it on the floor in front of them.

'Ready.' She told Fletcher.

'On my signal.' The door bulged in the middle, throwing one or two guards to the floor. A final crash and it burst, allowing dozens, if not hundreds, of ponies dressed in robes to enter. 'Now! Get them inside!' The princesses nodded and their horns glowed with an intense fury before they, along with the girls and Big Mac, vanished into thin air. Fletcher span to pick up the cube, now rainbow hued, and placed back into its original compartment. Screams from the guests and the shouts of the guards and intruders filled the air as a one sided battle erupted. The intruders carried swords and maces, which they used to herd up the few survivors before encircling the lone human. One stepped forward, a rust coloured unicorn.

'Ah, the Guard. We have been so looking forward to finally meeting you.' He stopped in front of Fletcher. 'Now, if you would be so kind and give me the princesses and the Elements we can be on our way.' Fletcher shook his head.

'Sorry, but that's not going to happen. I'd die before I give you them.' He raised his rifle. 'Now, if you'd be so kind and fuck off, I'll consider letting you live, all of you.' This earned a laugh.

'And what makes you think you can kill all of us?' the leader asked. Fletcher glanced round at the gathered ponies. His left hand reached for a grenade.

'I have some neat toys with me. Like this one.' He triggered it and threw it at the ponies to his left whilst diving to his right. The grenade bounced once before detonating. He threw a second and third before sprinting through the crowd as twin explosions erupted and shrapnel cut down more robed figures. He'd prepared for this eventuality and his first order of business was to retrieve his equipment stored in his room. Second was to escape to safety. Third was retake the city, if need be. Angry shouts and cries of the wounded followed him out as he ran up the staircase and towards his room. Three robed ponies teleported to block him only to be cut down by his rifle. Four more flashed into existence to meet the same fate as the others. Fletcher skidded to a halt outside the door to his room and pushed it open. His rucksack was to the left of the bed, exactly where he'd left it. Clamping it into place he opened the window and climbed down, activating his camouflage systems and sticking to the shadows. There were a few places he could use as a base of operations whilst he gathered intelligence on the group that had attacked and determine whether they had merely made an attempt on the princesses lives or if it was the prelude to a coup d'état. He called up his maps, highlighting the nearest. Two miles east, one mile north. Fletcher readied his rifle and moved out.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Eight

Fletcher pushed the door open, cringing at the squeak of its hinges. The interior was dark and musty, and a thick coat of dust covered everything. Just the way he'd left it. Fletcher relaxed and walked in, closing and locking the door behind him. The house was simple. Two bedrooms, a small bathroom and a kitchen/lounge combination. Celestia had snagged it for him when he came up with the Dyson Procedure, along with four other properties across Canterlot. Each was kept for when things got really bad in the city and the safety of the princesses couldn't be guaranteed. He just never thought he'd ever have to use one. Fletcher took off his rucksack and dumped it on an old table. When he had the time he'd go through and unpack each weapon. But right now he had to perform some intelligence gathering on enemy that had tried to attack him. The princesses would want a full report when the time came.

There was a flash of light as the nine ponies landed in a lush field under a warm sun. The two Alicorns looked to each other, nodding that they were okay. The Elements and Big Mac were in varying states of nausea, with Rainbow Dash throwing up.

'Is everypony okay?' Celestia asked, receiving varying groans in response. 'I'm sorry, but the transition to the cube can be unpleasant the first time around.'

'Where are we?' Big Mac asked, looking round at the scenery. 'We were in Canterlot a second ago.'

'And we still are, provided Michael hasn't left the city.' Celestia and Luna helped the few ponies on the ground up and began leading them along a faint path towards somewhere.

'What is this place?' Applejack had joined her brother in looking around.

'This is what Michael dubbed a Dyson World when he came up with the idea.' Luna explained. 'It was made with the purpose of protecting my sister and I, should Canterlot fall, from all those who wish to harm us. It is unfortunate that it has happened.'

'Wait, you knew that this would happen?' Rainbow Dash was walking alongside the group, feeling too ill to fly. The princesses shook their heads.

'No, we did not. But we feared it might. Michael put forward various plans to help ensure our safety. This,' Celestia waved at the countryside. 'Is the worst case scenario. Nothing can get in to harm us and nothing can get out until the all clear signal has been given.'

'Which is?'

'A phrase that has sentimental value to Michael. He would only reveal it to Luna and I and asked we keep it a secret too.' Rainbow Dash made an 'oh' noise and kept walking.

'So, where are we going?' Twilight asked. 'And how big or small is this place?'

'Internally, it is perhaps ten miles across and three or four high. Externally, it is about three centimetres in all directions.' Celestia smiled a little at her students face as it dropped. 'And as for where we are going, we are headed to a small town to wait for the signal.'

'There are other ponies here?' Rarity asked.

'No. We are the only ones in the cube. It was built to allow only royalty, the Elements or close blood relatives access.' Luna nodded at Big Mac. 'That is why Applejack's brother was able to enter.' The path led them up a hill and as they crested it, a small town came into view. Well, maybe town was an overstatement. There were seven houses and a single store, arranged in two rows of four along a cobblestone road.

'You each have your own house, built to your tastes and needs.' Celestia said. 'Your names are written on the front but you don't have to be confined to only yours. We may be in here for some time and if you do wish to, you can all stay in one house.' The girls galloped off to their new temporary homes and immediately began inspecting them, squealing in delight. Big Mac followed at a more leisurely pace, stopping outside Applejack's home. She let him in and after ten or so minutes he emerged and visited Twilight. Soon they all appeared and began swapping details over what they had and how much they loved it. Rather than join in, the two princesses sat and watched the town.

'Do you think Michael is alright?' Celestia asked her sister.

'I'm not sure.' Luna replied, shaking her head. 'But wouldn't be surprised if he was already on the verge of taking Canterlot back.' Celestia smiled.

'He is good like that.' Luna nodded.

Fletcher ducked under a low beam before hurling himself over a cart, swearing all the while.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.' He dodged round a fountain and ran into an alley. Behind him came the shouts of four cultist guards as they chased after him. A spell impacted the floor next to where he was, spraying him with bits of stone. Fletcher raised his SMG and dove from the alley and assumed a crouch before firing at his pursuers. Two dropped before they could bring a shield spell up. Fletcher swore and ran off again, waiting to hear the hoofsteps of the two remaining unicorns. When he did, he primed and dropped a grenade and hoped he'd timed it right. The grenade detonated and he was rewarded with the screams of the two as they were caught in the blast. He span round, gun at the ready, and finished them with a brief burst each. Silence fell over the street.

'And that is why you do not fuck with me.' Around him, residents emerged from their homes to see what had happened. Fletcher ejected the spent magazine and inserted a new one. Some of the ponies emerged from their houses to get a closer look before backing away at the sight of the bodies. The human left, reactivating his camouflage system and blending into the shadows, arriving back at the hideout in less than an hour. This had been his life for the past five days. Sleep here, wake up and have some food before going out to cause chaos and destruction in the city. He had orders from the princesses to prevent their capture which was easy enough to accomplish. They were held inside the cube and that never left its special compartment in his armour. The second order was harder to accomplish. Canterlot had a population of over ten thousand ponies and covered a dense six square miles. The Mind of the Grave had taken it by force and had either imprisoned or killed the few Royal Guards and anyone else who might have been able to help remove them, leaving Fletcher to retake the city by himself.

'Aren't I lucky?' He said for the thousandth time since he had been cut off. But he had made a decent dent all by himself. Over fifty cultists had been killed by him, a caravan containing new weapons and supplies for them had been blown sky high and today, he'd just stopped eight of them from gathering ponies to be forced into service whether they wanted to or not. Images of the Fort and the Legate's Camp flashed before his eyes and the sight of slaves being whipped soon followed. He banished these thoughts from his head and prepared an MRE. Tomorrow he would scout the areas around the city, try to find some of the Royal Guards that had escaped. Whilst Fletcher had been tasked with clearing the city, he couldn't do it alone and he needed reinforcements. But the closest ones were to the south near the Griffin Kingdom as both deterrence and to help reduce the number of bandits in the area. And it would take him two whole weeks to get there alone. A Pegasus could do it in inside of a day. Fletcher sat down and ate his MRE in silence, not that there was anyone to talk to. Outside thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as he settled down for the night. He dreamt of his parents again, but they were so blurry they could have been anyone.

The sun inside the cube dimmed as the inhabitants prepared for their first night inside. They all bid each other goodbye before returning to their respective homes, Big Mac accompanying Twilight. Each of them worried about their families and friends in Ponyville and more than a few thoughts were spared for Fletcher and his task.

Fletcher grumbled as he forced his way through the trees and bushes of the Canterlot Royal Forest, the branches snagging on his rifle and the mud rendering his camouflage partly useless. He'd been walking through the forest for two hours in the rain looking for the Royal Guards that had escaped. So far, all he'd had to go on was the remains of an old campfire and some hoof prints. That had been an hour ago. Now the trail had gone cold and he was just wandering in circles, hoping he would catch a break and find the ponies he was after. He figured they might be moving their camp on either a daily basis or every few days, meaning they had moved five times or two or three times. He managed to get back onto the main path and walked further into the woods. Overhead the rain increased; reducing visibility to less than one hundred feet and only if he was lucky.

'Where the fuck are you ponies?' No one answered him, aside from a brief thunderclap. 'Great. I'm alone in the world, trying to retake an entire fucking city by myself and I can't even get a message to the few people who could help me! Thank goodness for my good fucking fortunes.' Fletcher angrily kicked the ground and trudged back to Canterlot. If he couldn't find them, then he'd just have to find a citizen willing to help him. _Fat chance, _Fletcher thought. _Pompous, stuck up asses. _

As he neared the city walls the rain began to ease off. On the gate were three Earth pony cultists, signified by their robes and Fletcher noted the single blue stripe along the hem denoting their role as guards. He shouldered his rifle and fired, killing them and walking back in. To say the Mind of the Grave had taken over Canterlot, they weren't exactly putting much effort into stopping people from getting in. Had he been in charge, he would have had at least eight or nine stationed at each major exit. Maybe it was a manpower issue. Fletcher stuck to the shadows and began watching for either a unicorn or a Pegasus who could make the run. He spotted several and marked their homes on his map for later when it was dark and he'd had a chance to craft his message and encode it.

By the time Fletcher had made his message and left for the first of several houses, the rain had stopped and the moon was out though the night sky was missing its usual beauty with the absence of Luna to govern it properly. He knocked on the first door and backed away, hiding in the shadows. It creaked open slightly and a lance of light spilled out.

'Hello?' someone called out. 'Is anypony there?' The door opened wider and revealed a white unicorn.

'That all depends on you.' Fletcher answered. The unicorn froze and looked round for the source of the voice.

'Wh-what depends on me? Who are you? Where are you?'

'First, your name. Then we can discuss things.'

'My name is Fancypants. And who are you?'

'A citizen concerned about Canterlot's recent capture looking for sympathetic souls.' Fancypants backed away.

'You're not one of _them _are you?' The disgust in his voice was almost as visible as the look of horror on his face.

'Quite the opposite.' Fletcher walked into the light. 'I need some help getting a message to friendly forces in the south.' Fancypants moved back, opening the door wider.

'Come in then. If I can do anything to help bring the princesses back, I am at your service.' Fletcher nodded in thanks and entered the house. It was bigger than where he was staying. Cleaner, more inviting. Hell it was better in every way. His host led him into the living room and directed him to sit. Fletcher did and earned an amused smile from Fancypants.

'What?' he asked, slightly confused.

'You sit just like my niece does. She has a thing for doing things differently.'

'Oh? Where does she live?'

'Ponyville, I do believe. Her name is Lyra and she moved there over three years ago.'

'Huh.' At that point a second unicorn walked in, a mare this time.

'Ah, Fleur, I would like you to meet um,' Fancypants trailed off and looked at Fletcher. 'I never did catch your name.'

'Sorry. It's Michael Fletcher.'

'He's asked for our help in ridding Canterlot of that foul cult.' She looked to him with delight.

'Oh thank goodness. We were beginning to worry nothing would be done about them.' She sat down next to Fancypants. 'Now, do tell how we can be of help.' Fletcher retrieved the message he had written.

'I need someone to get this to Equestrian forces in the south. I can't leave the city, orders from above, but I need help to retake it. Seeing as I can't find any of the Royal Guards that fled I need either a unicorn or a Pegasus to get this to whoever is in charge down there.'

'Why not an Earth pony?' Fancypants asked.

'Unicorns can teleport and Pegasi can get there within a day. Earth ponies would take too long to get there. And this message needs to be read as soon as possible.' Fletcher looked at each unicorn in turn. 'Can either of you teleport yourself over long distances?' Fancypants nodded.

'But it takes it out of me.'

'How far can you teleport in one go?'

'At least twenty-five or so miles. But then I need to rest for at least a day between jumps.' Fletcher brought up his maps and selected the nearest Equestrian military outpost with a sizeable garrison. He winced. It was in the region of four hundred and fifty miles away.

'Do you know any other unicorns that can teleport better than that? Or a Pegasus who could deliver the message?' They shook their heads. 'Crap. Well Fancypants, it looks like the fate of Equestria rests on your shoulders. Do you know where Baltimare is?'

'Yes, we vacation there quite often in summer.'

'Great, because that's the nearest city to the army camp you're heading to.' His eyes widened in shock, as did Fleur's.

'But that's well over four hundred and fifty miles!'

'Four hundred and fifty-eight, to be exact. Look, if there were some other way to do it I would but we're pressed for time. I'll be doing my best to make things a living hell for the cult here but unless you can get that message to the proper people, it'll all be for nothing.' Fletcher held the message out. 'If you still want to help, here. Take it and get going.'

'But what about me?' Fleur asked. 'I don't want to be left alone for however long it'll take to deliver that message.'

'Don't you have anyone who you can stay with?' She shook her head. Fletcher glanced round at the house. It was so much nicer than what he was currently staying in. 'I guess I could stay here until Fancypants returns.'

'Then it's settled.' Fancypants levitated the scroll from Fletcher and placed it in some saddlebags, following that up with some clothes and money. 'I shall leave in the morning. Would you care to stop for tonight or do you have somewhere else to be?'

'I'll be fine. I need to retrieve my equipment from my current hideout first and that's on the other side of the city.' He stood and left, closing the door behind him and not giving the two a chance to argue. He slipped into the shadows and was back within thirty minutes. Another MRE was set to boil as he retrieved the small crystal cube and stared at it. The rainbow hue was just visible in the dim light.

'Are you all lucky? Getting to live a semi-normal life in there whilst I'm out here risking it all.' He made a fist around the cube. 'I never did get proper a thank you from some of you for everything I've done.' He took the bag out of the pan and poured the contents into his bowl. He ate the meal slowly, only vaguely aware of the taste. The clock on his armour reached midnight and the date moved forward by a day. It was tuned to Earth's calendar which, bizarrely enough, was the same as the Equestrian one. A small part of him felt sad as he checked the date. It was his eighteenth birthday. Or was it his twenty-fifth? He shrugged and hummed a birthday tune as he finished off the meal. He picked up the cube again.

'Should be about thirty or so days before you can come out of there, maybe more. Then we can get back to our usual routine. Whoop de fucking do.' Sighing, Fletcher replaced the crystal in its compartment and lay down to go to sleep, but it was elusive as his mind mulled over his current situation. It was his birthday and he was spending it on an alien world trying to liberate a city from an insane cult by himself. He frowned. This was not how he'd imagined his life to be going at all. He'd expected his life would end up being one drunken party after another before getting a job somewhere when his parents finally decided to kick him to the kerb. Right then and there, Fletcher felt a pang of loneliness and anger at Moore, the Elements and the princesses. If it hadn't been for any of them he would still be back on Earth, risking his life only when he went online against other gamers.

'Fucking ponies.' He muttered before giving up on sleep, reaching for his rifle and rucksack and heading out of the door. It was one in the morning but he figured he could still find something to do until he went back to see Fancypants off and take up residence in his home until his return.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Nine

Fletcher knocked on the door and waited. A moment later it was answered by Fleur who let him in. Fancypants was adjusting his saddlebags and looked about as ready as an upper class pony can be when he was about to risk his life to deliver a message. Fleur fussed over a few minor details before leaving him alone.

'Ready?' Fletcher asked. Fancypants nodded but his eye flickered towards Fleur. 'Don't worry, she'll be fine. I promise. Now go. And good luck.' The male unicorn's horn glowed intensely before he vanished in a flash of light. A few stray sparks remained until they too vanished. Fleur walked closer to the spot Fancypants had stood before letting a solitary tear fall. Fletcher had never really asked what kind of a relationship they were in. For all he knew they were brother and sister living together to keep costs down.

'What exactly will you be doing until more guards can arrive?' Fletcher shrugged at her question.

'Disrupting whatever control the Mind of the Grave has by any means necessary.' Fletcher took his rucksack off and placed it on the floor. 'How I do that will depend on the situation.' He unclipped his rifle and inspected it. Fleur looked uneasy at the sight of it.

'Does it have to involve violence?'

'For what I do, yes. These guys used violence to take over and kidnap people. If violence is all those bastards understand, then violence they'll get.' He replaced the magazine and cocked it, clamping it back into place on his back. 'Unless you want to start a non-violent movement against them.' Fleur looked at him quizzically. 'I'm going to need as much help as I can keeping them at bay. I am one guy. But Canterlot is an entire city. You want to help, right?'

'Yes. More than anything. I hate what they're doing to our city.'

'Good. You're now in charge of organising a resistance movement.' Fletcher did a spot check of his pistol before replacing it. 'Now I've got to go misbehave and piss a load of ponies off. So don't wait up.' He moved to leave but the mare caught him in a spell. It had been a while since he'd felt that static feeling crawl over him and he was honest in saying he didn't miss it.

'How exactly am I supposed to organise a resistance movement?' Fleur asked. Fletcher shrugged.

'Start by asking your neighbours if they have any ideas. Things like peaceful aren't my domain. I prefer placing timed charges on bridges or burning things.' He shrugged inside the spell. 'You know anarchy, chaos and panic. That sort of thing. Though I guess you could see about finding pictures of important figures in the cult here and give them to me. Now if you be so kind as to release me.' Fleur did and he went out, a small patrol of cultists waiting to be ambushed just calling out to him.

Twilight shifted in her bed, waking up slowly to the alien environment. It wasn't her room at the library or the farm. The wood was too pale for either location and the scent wasn't of books or of apples. It was of fresh meadows. She turned over to see if it was the same on that side of the bed. But instead of seeing wood she saw red. Then she smiled as she remembered why there would be red next to her in bed and wrapped a hoof round the shape next to her.

'Good morning Big Mac.' The shape stirred and draped a hoof over her.

'Morning Twi.' She buried herself in the chest of her coltfriend. 'Sleep well?' She nodded.

'I don't want to move.' Big Mac chuckled.

'Ah know that feeling. But Ah agreed and ya'll agreed to visit Miss Rarity and try on a few of her dresses.' Twilight groaned and covered her face.

'Why did the princesses give her a full boutique?' She glanced up, realising something. 'And why did you agree?'

'She said she needed a male opinion on some of the dresses. And Ah don't have anything else to do.'

'So you thought you'd come see me be forced to wear dozens of dresses?'

'Eeyup.' Twilight sighed in annoyance and got out of bed, walking to the nearby dresser. Her mane was only slightly out of place, something she wasn't used to. Since her attack and hospitalisation, Twilight often had bad dreams and tossed and turned in the night. Consequently her hair was always a mess.

'Did I move about much last night?' she asked.

'Nope. Pretty quiet.' Big Mac hauled himself out of the bed and stretched. 'Maybe you're starting to get over it.' Twilight's eyes flickered downwards and she shook her head sadly.

'I don't think I'll ever get over it.' Big Mac walked over and nuzzled her.

'Ah never said ya would. And Ah don't think Ah will either.' Twilight felt tears form but held back. 'But Ah can take a little consolation knowing that the griffin who took him away can never do it again.'

'But it won't bring him back though. Nothing ever will.' Her voice cracked and the tears began to fall. Big Mac pulled her into a hug, running a hoof along her back.

'Ah know. Ah know.' They sat like that for half an hour, Twilight crying and Big Mac soothing her until their stomachs grumbled, wanting nourishment. They laughed a little before separating and settled on having a bowl of oats each.

'I wonder how Michael is getting on without us.' Twilight mused as she sat down. It had been a three days since they had been dragged into the cube though the princesses had told them time moved slower inside for them than it would have outside, about one day in here meant two out there.

'Ah'm sure he's fine. He's had six days to sort the situation in Canterlot out. And he's been on his own for longer than six days before Twi.' Big Mac thought back to the hospital and what Fletcher had said. 'And when he has a goal in his mind, he'll keep at it until the job is done.'

'And what makes you say that?' Twilight sipped her coffee, waiting for Big Mac to continue.

'Well, when ya'll were attacked and put in the hospital Fletcher made a promise that he would get the person behind sending those griffins here.' Twilight looked away at the mention of the attack. 'He went missing for three weeks and didn't say what happened. But Ah overheard the princesses talking yesterday about what he did. Twilight, he went into the heart of the griffin capital to get to their king. Their king, Twilight.' She looked back at him.

'He did that? For us?' she whispered. Big Mac nodded. 'I thought he didn't care about us but he did that?'

'And Ah get the feeling he'd do the same for all of us. When AJ drew that pony's cutie mark, Michael studied the picture for a while. And then the princess took him aside and warned him about something.' He glanced to where Applejack's house would be across the street. 'Ah reckon he made a vow to do what he did to the griffin king to that pony if he ever saw him.' Twilight made an 'oh' sound and nibbled a little at her oats.

'He does care, doesn't he?'

'Eeyup. And ah reckon he'll keep caring in his own way.' They fell into silence and finished their breakfast, leaving for Rarity's shortly after where Twilight was forced to wear over two dozen dresses to please the fashion pony, Big Mac offering nod or shake when asked for his opinion, smiling all the while.

Fletcher crawled forward, rocket launcher in hand, as the timer on his armour hit the minute mark. Not long now, provided the intel was good. He checked both tubes were loaded as he reached his vantage point overlooking one of the few bridges made of wood leading into the city. Some guard had let slip that he would be greeting new recruits from some undisclosed place at a certain time on this very bridge. Fletcher had gone to make sure that a, there wouldn't be more recruits and b, reduce this bridge to kindling. The timer hit zero and he could just hear the faint, steady beat of hoofs marching in time. On the side of the bridge connected to the city three guards appeared and looked expectantly at the opposite side. Fletcher did a dry run and targeted both ends of the bridge, satisfied he could take them out quickly enough to trap most on the bridge. The marching grew louder as the first pony came into view.

'And go time.' Fletcher brought the launcher to bear on the three guards, figuring they would be a good enough aim point and waited. Robed ponies walked into view and made their way across the bridge. Fletcher waited until they had almost met the three guards from the city before firing. The first missile impacted and sent wood and body parts into the air. A hapless unicorn tried to stop the second but did nothing more than drag it towards him and blow apart the middle section. Fletcher swore and reloaded, aiming at his original target and fired. This missile made it to the target unopposed and severed the final link the walkway had to the land. He aimed the launcher at the remaining support strut and fired. It impacted and demolished the structure, causing the bridge and the still living inhabitants it carried to plunge into the chasm below. Fletcher dropped the launcher and threw five primed grenades into the mass of bodies. He had to be sure there would be no survivors and to send a message: this city will not go down easily. A few limbs were blown upwards before gravity brought them down again. He grinned as he heard the wet splats and retrieved the launcher and made his way back to Fleur's home.

In the seven days since he'd given her the task of forming a resistance group, the unicorn had done a pretty good job so far. He'd gotten intelligence on enemy movements and powerful figures, eliminating them as well as stealing caravans loaded with supplies which were given to the small but growing Ponies Front of Canterlot's fighting force. He reached her house and had one last look around to make sure he was alone before walking up to the front door. He reached for the handle but found it wasn't where it usually was. It was on the floor, alongside some splinters of wood. Fletcher immediately drew his pistol and stepped inside. The house was quiet, too quiet. Whenever he was inside, Fleur would be doing something that made a noise. Now though, it was a crypt. Fletcher dumped the launcher and made his way through to the living room. Nothing. He turned the sound receptors on his armour up to maximum, straining to hear something. The creaking of the house and the rattling of the plumbing filled his ears. Then he heard the sound of someone being hit come from above, possibly one of the two bedrooms. Fletcher made his way upstairs, pistol still drawn and held level, ready for anything.

'Look, just tell us what you know and we'll leave you alone.' Fletcher stopped. 'We can do a lot worse than hitting you. I know a bunch of colts that have been looking for a mare like you for a while.' Fletcher resumed walking towards the master bedroom, the source of the voices. He heard a feeble reply and another hit land.

'I don't care what you say. You've been seen with certain ponies that are on our watch list. Tell us why and we can go.' Silence. 'I said tell us!' More punches were thrown. He reached the door to the bedroom and found it too had been forced open. Fletcher nudged it open with his foot and took in the situation at a glance. Two cultist unicorns stood over a beaten Fleur and were kicking her. He holstered his pistol and walked up behind the two ponies, smashing their heads together. A sickening crunch of bone resonated and they fell. Fletcher checked for signs of life and found they were still breathing despite the trauma they had just endured. Fleur shifted and whimpered in pain. Instantly forgetting the two attackers, Fletcher moved to help her onto the bed.

'Are you okay?' he asked. She gave him a shaky nod before deciding she wasn't okay and vomited on the bed. She then drew Fletcher into a hug and collapsed against him, crying. He placed an unsure hand on her back and tried to sooth her.

'It's alright. They can't hurt you now.' She said nothing in reply as he looked over the two unconscious forms on the floor. 'Fleur, do you know anyone who owns a cart or small wagon?' She stopped crying and looked at him, confused.

He slowly felt his body return to him. The first thing he registered was a monumental amount of pain in the side of his head. The second was that he couldn't move his legs. They were bound to each other and something heavy was wrapped around his back ones. He tried to call out but his throat refused to.

'You're awake. Finally. Your friend was getting quite lonely without you.' He opened his eyes and looked round. It was dark and trees lined one side of wherever they were. A cliff lined the other.

'Wh-where am I?' His voice was barely a coarse whisper, his throat crying out for water.

'Canterlot Cliffs. Right next to the waterfalls.' The voice that was talking to him was low, and oddly menacing. He shifted to try and catch a glimpse of his tormentor.

'Where are you?'

'Right behind you.' The pony span as quickly as a bound pony could, only to see nothing at all.

'Try again.' He rolled back to see a pair of armoured boots standing in front of him. 'Found me.' One foot was raised and brought down on his face, breaking his nose. He screamed in pain.

'Shut up. I could have done worse.' A pause. 'I will be doing worse.' The pony on the ground looked up to see an armoured creature with no face reach down and drag him to the edge of the cliffs.

'You.' He spat.

'Yes, me.' The creature retrieved some more rope and tied it around the knot holding his front legs together and ran it to a wooden peg set into the ground. 'Enlighten me, actually. What exactly am I to you Mind of the Grave people?' It disappeared from sight and the pony felt it tie more rope around his back legs.

'Something we need to destroy. You killed our saviour and protect the whores that claim to rule this land. We have orders to kill you on sight.' His captor laughed somewhere behind him.

'Like that's been accomplished.' It walked back into view. 'Now let me tell you why I have to kill you on sight. One, you and all your FUBAR friends attacked the princesses, people I have orders to protect. Second, you broke into my home and threatened my host by telling her she would be raped by countless ponies. Thirdly, you called the princesses whores. That don't sit right with me. So I'll tell you what's going to happen.

'You and your friend are tied together with good, strong rope and this one,' He tugged on the rope attached to the peg. 'Is going to act like an anchor, stopping you both from plummeting to your doom when I push your friend over. Now both of you weigh about six or seven hundred kilos each but to make sure you both go over I added an extra hundred to you back legs.' It leaned down close to the unicorn's face. 'That's close to a metric ton of dead weight on you, and it's going to be pulling you down soon.' The unicorn spat in it's face. 'That's it? No last words? No sudden repentance of your allegiance to that idiotic cult?'

'Kill me or release me, Demon. I won't ever bow down to those whores again.'

'So be it.' It walked out of sight and grunted. The second unicorn screamed in terror as he was pushed off the edge. A second later he was yanked back and felt his front and back legs dislocate as the anchoring peg brought him to a sudden stop, half on and half off the cliff. He screamed in pain.

'Ah, music to my ears. The sound of a piece of shit in pain.' The creature crouched near the peg and produced a knife. 'I wonder how long it will take you two to fall a kilometre. And how long I'll be able to hear you scream as you plummet to the bowels of whatever is the Equestrian version of hell.' Despite the pain and the feeling that his legs would separate from his body, the unicorn took the opportunity of the creature's distraction to charge a spell.

'Not as long as you'll be screaming.' The creature looked up to see the unicorn's horn glow and discharge a bolt of magic. It ducked, trying to avoid the spell but caught it on the upper arm and was flung backwards. The unicorn felt a brief moment of satisfaction at finally doing what his cult had never managed to do, only for the feeling to evaporate as the creature stood back up though it's right arm now dangled uselessly at it's side.

'Big mistake fucktard.' It picked it's knife up and slashed at the rope holding the two unicorns up. There was a snap and a feeling of weightlessness took over as the two bound unicorns fell at a dizzying rate to the ground below. The last thought in both their minds was of the many murals of their saviour, the Gravemind, and the prospect of joining him in the next life.

Fletcher grunted in pain as he peered over the cliff edge, nodding in satisfaction at the small splashes that he could just see in the pool below. Moving away from the edge, he finally paid attention to the pain in his arm. It felt like his upper arm was broken, though there was no way to be sure. He grunted again, this time in annoyance. If it was a break, he wouldn't be able to perform any of his tasks until it had healed. Sighing, Fletcher made his way back to Fleur's, making a mental note to ask about doctors in the area.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Ten

Fletcher winced slightly as he removed the armour covering his right arm. The doctor had tried to take an x-ray of his arm through it but the image came back as a solid white lump. So off came the protective covering he'd been wearing for what felt like his entire life. His arm was pale, a lack of sunlight. His thoughts were interrupted as the doctor positioned the x-ray machine over the supposed break before backing away to activate it. A brief humming later he moved Fletcher away and sent him to wait in the waiting room. Fleur looked up as he entered.

'How is it?' she asked.

'Don't know. He only just took the picture.' Fletcher sat down next to the unicorn and began to inspect the upper arm armour for damage. The spell had hit with enough punch to break his arm, but a system check on his armour had revealed no damage at all. His visual check served only to confirm it. His armour was spotless, the odd scratch or two not included.

'Fleur, do you know any spells that ignore inorganic materials and strike organic ones?' She shook her head. 'Never mind.' They sat in silence until the doctor walked out.

'I'm afraid you have a small fracture on your upper arm and it may take as long as four weeks to fully heal. I'm going to have to set it in a cast and request you avoid doing any strenuous activity until it has had a chance to fully heal.' He motioned for Fletcher to follow.

'Four _weeks_? Shit.' Fletcher grumbled as he followed the doctor and continued to fume as his arm was placed in a crude cast, the doctors and nurses having more experience with ponies. It extended from just under his armpit and above the break to his hand, leaving his fingers free to wriggle but not much else.

'Now, how did you come about this injury?' the doctor asked as he ran over the cast with a spell to dry it quickly.

'A unicorn hit me with a spell.'

'Why did a unicorn hit you with a spell?' Fletcher shook his head.

'It's best you not know that.' The doctor merely nodded and continued to dry the cast. It felt weird, like a dry heat was slowly covering his arm, but at the same time the usual static feeling crawled up and down. The doctor eventually finished and allowed him to leave.

'What I wouldn't give for a Medic right now.' Fleur stood as he walked by and the two returned home.

Twilight stretched and shook out her legs, breathing in the smells of the Cube as she thought of it. In the fifteen days since they'd arrived, she finished the day with a light jog along the path the princesses had took them down on that first day. Above the sun was beginning to dim, something that she couldn't get used to. Luna had complained that she was unable to create a masterpiece of the heavens inside, lacking the stars and comets she had control over. The unicorn smiled at the memory as she reached the reached the top of the hill and jogged back to town again. The sounds of music and laughter drifted out across the fields as Rarity and Applejack prepared a small picnic for everypony, their third so far. Pinkie had organised the first one, decorating everywhere with streamers and balloons whilst forgetting to prepare food. Twilight and Fluttershy had been placed in charge of the second one, a more quiet and food filled affair than the pink pony's loud and hunger inducing one. Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were set to do the next one until it would be down to the princesses to amaze them all with theirs.

'Howdy Twilight.' Big Mac was waiting for her on the porch of their house, a glass of water waiting for the unicorn.

'Hey.' She levitated the glass over and took a small sip, sighing at the coolness of the water. 'Sounds like they're about ready.'

'Eeyup. Applejack's made some of her apple pie and Rarity has finished making those swan napkins.' Twilight grinned then let it falter slightly. Big Mac raised an eyebrow. 'Something wrong?' Twilight shrugged.

'I just... feel a little bad about all this.' She waved a hoof at the buildings. 'We're all having a great time in here, safe and sound, whilst Michael is risking his life to protect ours. I guess I feel a little guilty about it.' Big Mac drew her into a brief hug.

'When we get of here, we'll have Miss Pinkie Pie throw him a party to say thank you.'

'I guess. But it doesn't sound like much of a thank you.' Big Mac released her.

'It's the thought that counts.'

'Maybe.' Her smile reasserted itself. 'Come on or we'll be late for the picnic.' Big Mac nodded and followed Twilight to the sounds of laughter.

Fletcher flexed his arm, happy to be out of the cast after four weeks of doing barely anything and back up to full mobility. Though they had tried their best, the Ponies Front of Canterlot had lost momentum when he'd been taken out of action and the cult had regained the control they had lost. But now all that was about to change. Fletcher grinned as he donned his armour again, happy to be covered in that familiar plating and able to blend into the shadows again. The inside of his helmet came to life and began a systems check on everything after being offline for so long. Thankfully, it all still worked and the camouflage systems activated, fading to take on the hue of Fleur's spare bedroom wall. He clipped his rifle and pistol into place and walked downstairs. Fleur was reading one of her books as he entered, having had just as little to do as him.

'I guess now your arm is better, you'll be going out?'

'Yep.' She sighed and closed her book.

'How long has it been since you sent my husband on that mission?'

'Four, five weeks.' Fletcher sat down opposite her. 'Look, it was over four hundred and fifty-eight miles and he could walk between jumps, but he said it was physically demanding. Maybe he's taking plenty of rests. Or the weather is preventing him from going as quickly as he could do. There are dozens of reasons why he isn't back yet.'

'Like he's dead?' Fleur asked.

'Do you believe that?' She shook her head. 'Then don't think it. Just keep that feeling of hope that he's alive going.' She smiled a little before returning to her book. Fletcher stood and drew his rifle. He'd been out for too long and now it was time to become the Demon again.

'Don't wait up.' Fleur just gave a small nod. He opened the door and after making sure the coast was clear stepped out and headed towards the castle. He needed to see what the cult had gotten up to since he'd been gone. Though the resistance group had managed to keep a close eye on them, the cult had effectively isolated the castle and surrounding grounds from everyone. Guards patrolled ever corner in groups of no less than three ponies. And no one could get in. At least, so they thought. Fletcher had managed to infiltrate the castle twice before to take out targets of opportunity and steal documents. He reached the back of the castle, where the wall was lowest and had the most footholds. Fletcher made a mental note to have someone repair this section of the wall when it was all over.

'Let's take one more look-see.' There weren't any guards on this stretch of wall as Fletcher hauled himself up. He peered over the edge of the wall and into the courtyard below. He was surprised to see very few cultists in the area. The previous two times the space had been thick with them. Now it was sparsely populated, maybe ten ponies in total. A rock formed in his gut. Just what had they been doing in his absence? The resistance hadn't noted any increase in patrols, rather a slow decline in the past week and neither had more cultists appeared in the city. So the main force had either gone and left a small garrison in the castle, or they were fortifying it ahead of a major attack. Could Fancypants have been intercepted? Fletcher shook that thought out of his head and jumped down to the grounds below, rifle sweeping across the area. No cultists in sight. He stuck close to the wall until he finally made it to the main steps leading up to the grand entrance, two hapless guards behind him dead. Making sure that there was no one around he crouched and went up to the doors. They were slightly ajar, just wide enough for him to slip through without making too much noise. Inside it was quiet, but not silent. The clatter of hooves and voices carried from seemingly everywhere at once. Fletcher frowned as he took in his surroundings. Banners depicting the princesses had been vandalised, things like 'whores' and 'tyrants' scrawled across them and here and there were paintings of the Gravemind, towering above ponies and dragons.

'Holy shit, these guys are deranged.' He mused as he moved towards one of the doors on his level and eased it open. Inside were a series of bunks, all unoccupied, and another image of the Gravemind adorning the far wall. Fletcher backed out and explored further into the castle. It seemed like the entire Mind of the Grave had taken residence inside the castle, but none were out on patrols. In fact, it seemed like they were preparing for a siege. Fletcher had counted well over fifty wooden barricades and nearly one hundred barrels of food and water in his exploration and guessed there were more. Now he had to make a decision. Should he leave and report what he had found to the movement, or should he find out why they had suddenly decided to prepare for all out siege warfare. At that moment a lance of maybe twelve guards burst from one of the doors above, shouting to the other cult members in the castle about an intruder.

'Well, there goes that plan.' Fletcher sprinted from his hiding spot outside and to where he had gotten out twice before and within five minutes was standing in a street half a mile from the castle. The shouts of the cult could be heard as he watched a patrol of three run back to the castle. Fletcher smiled and gave them five minutes before making his way back to Fleur's. As he rounded the corner to her street, two unicorns appeared in a flash before him. He raised his rifle and aimed it at them, then lowered it when he recognised them. The unicorn on the left was a dirty, tired and somewhat injured Fancypants. The one on the right was someone Fletcher hadn't really seen since before, but knew the pony was part of the Royal Guard by his uniform.

'Ah, Michael! So good to see you again.' Fancypants wavered a little as he spoke. 'I delivered the message, just like you asked, and this chap helped bring me back.' The Royal Guard nodded.

'What took so long?' Fletcher asked, motioning for the two to follow.

'I'm afraid that after five straight days of teleporting I had to have a few days of solid rest before I could continue onwards. But I eventually made it to the camp and delivered your message.' Fletcher looked to the silent unicorn. He was maddeningly familiar but he just couldn't place him.

'So how long before reinforcements get here?'

'At least another week. I was sent ahead to gather enemy strength estimates and locations.' The unicorn said, glancing up and down at Fletcher's armour. 'We haven't met before. I'm Captain Shining Armour of the Royal Guard under Princess Celestia, part of the House of the Sun.' He held out his hoof. Fletcher shook it then felt his mind click. This must have been the pony Twilight was talking about. Her brother or something.

'Trooper Michael Fletcher of the Royal Guard under both princesses, part of the House of the Demon and Knight of Equestria.' They reached Fleur's house. She squealed in delight then concern at the sight of Fancypants and ushered all three inside. Fletcher and Shining Armour sat down on one of the sofas as Fleur fussed over Fancypants.

'I've never heard of the Demon house.' The unicorn looked at the human. 'What exactly do you do for the princesses?'

'Anything and everything they ask. This may range from being a courier for a message to operating behind enemy lines by myself with orders to disrupt logistics.' Fletcher leaned back. 'And you are ordered to forget everything I have just said.'

'I don't think you have the rank to be giving me orders. I'm a captain of the Royal Guards and I've never heard of the rank of trooper before.' Fletcher sighed and pulled out a small gold and silver medallion, holding it so Shining Armour could see. On the gold side was Celestia's cutie mark and Luna's adorned the silver side. The unicorn recognised it as symbol of an agent of the princesses.

'This gives me the rank I need to order you around.' He put it back. 'But that is the only order I'll be giving. I prefer it when I'm by myself but can play well with others. So, we have a week before our friends come to join the party.'

'Yes sir.' Fletcher glanced at the captain.

'Okay, second order. Cut that crap out now.' He nodded. 'Great. So, how many troops do we have standing by?'

'Somewhere in the region of two hundred soldiers, a mixture of Earth ponies and Pegasi with unicorns providing support.' He shifted. 'I need to know, what happened to the princesses? And the Elements?'

'They're safe. Trust me; they're in the safest place imaginable. And don't worry; your sister is safe and sound with them.'

'Twilli's okay?' Fletcher nodded. 'That's a relief. When we received your message, my first thought was whether she was safe or not. Where is she exactly?'

'Close by.' Fleur walked into the room, tears in her eyes, and hugged Shining Armour.

'Thank you for getting my Fancypants back.' She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. 'You don't know how much this means to me.'

'It was nothing, really.' Fleur made a dismissive sound and said she would prepare a dinner for all of them to celebrate their return. She made a mouth watering feast for all of them, but Fletcher only ate it because it would have been impolite to decline, much preferring to have one of his MREs than this salad before him. Afterwards, he and Shining Armour discussed the troop strengths and positions in and around the castle, forming a basic plan of attack before the captain teleported away to the rest of his troops to relay the newly gathered information. Fletcher rechecked all of his equipment, cleaning anything that needed it, before doing an inventory of all his remaining ammunition. To his surprise, he had used up five hundred or so clips of ammunition for the MA5K, two hundred for the SMG, around fifty for the sniper rifle and even less for the shotgun, rocket launcher and pistol combined.

'Huh, thought I used more than that.' He shrugged and replaced the items in his rucksack before settling on the SMG for his weapon of choice tonight. Fancypants and Fleur looked at him as he came downstairs.

'I'm going to be out for most of the night. If you hear explosions and screams, I'll probably be back sooner than that.' He left, heading towards the buildings directly next to the castle. They seemed to have the highest concentration of cultists during the night and Fletcher wanted to know if that had changed in the four weeks he'd been off.

Fletcher returned to the house sooner than he'd thought he would have. There hadn't been any sign of the cultists in the buildings, just leftover food and wrappers. The beds upstairs were cold and a thin layer of dust had started to accumulate in some of the older buildings. But it hadn't been a total loss. Fletcher had found three mares tied together in the basement of the third building he went into, starved and dishevelled. He released them and took them to the hospital for treatment before returning and continuing his search. Frowning, he opened the door to his host's house and trudged upstairs to his room, three hours of his life wasted.

Shining Armour reappeared after five more days, announcing that the troops were in place and ready to attack.

'How are you planning to attack?' Fletcher asked.

'Take the courtyard and use it as a staging area before assaulting the castle proper. From what you've told us about the cult they plan on holding out for as long as possible, and that they might barricade the main doors. This might pose a problem as we don't have any equipment that can break through.' Fletcher glanced at where his armoury was located.

'I do. Just tell your troops to stand well clear of the door when I show up.' Shining Armour nodded. 'After you break through, then what?'

'We move through the castle and cleanse it of anything belonging to the Mind of the Grave, ponies included.'

'Sounds like a plan. When you and your men have cleared the entire castle, meet me in the throne room and we'll get the princesses and the Elements.'

'Yes sir. Uh, sorry. I meant yes. It'll be great to see Twilli again.'

'I'm sure she'll be just as happy to see you again.' He moved to pick through the boxes of his armoury. 'When are you planning to attack?'

'Tomorrow at dawn. We'll move up to the castle gates beforehand and get ready.'

'Good choice. Alright, I'll see you there tomorrow. Remember, keep away from the doors when I show up.' Shining Armour nodded and vanished in a flash of light. Fletcher found the two boxes he had been looking for and retrieved the weapons stowed within. Tomorrow would be a fun filled day, and he wanted to make sure he had the right tools to enjoy it.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Eleven

Dawn came as over two hundred members of the Royal Guard advanced towards the main gates into Canterlot castle. Fletcher watched them go before moving out, weapons at the ready. Shining Armour had filled him in on the rest of the plan when he'd arrived and asked if Fletcher could help with some of the work inside the castle. The human had said yes and now, as the Guards swarmed through the gates, he readied the first weapon he carried and aimed at the front doors to the castle. Around him the ponies under Shining Armour's command quickly detained the half dozen cultists present and pulled them away for questioning. A small detachment of Earth ponies made their way to the locked doors and tried to open them, only to give up when they didn't budge. Fletcher nodded at Shining Armour.

'Stand clear of the main doors! All Guards, stand clear.' Fletcher waited until the last one had reached a safe enough distance before firing one rocket, then two, out of his launcher. They streaked towards the wooden doors and blew it apart. Dust and wood chips flew outwards as Fletcher reloaded. The debris settled to reveal a newly created hole.

'Advance! Clear the castle of all intruders!' Shining Armour ordered and half of the troops entered the castle in groups of ten or so. Fletcher swapped the launcher for his SMG and charged in after them. Already the sounds of battle could be heard, Guards and cultists trading blows with swords, maces and hammers. He raised his gun and moved into the western wings, firing at anything in robes. Whilst the Guards had orders to try and capture all combatants, Fletcher had no such orders. Three fell beneath a sustained burst as he cleared one room before another dozen were cut down by a well placed grenade. He moved from section to section until he reached doors to the throne room. Almost fifty robed ponies were barricaded inside behind wooden structures and Fletcher noted that most were unicorns, either wielding crossbows or had spells powered up. A series of blips appeared on his motion tracker, fast approaching from behind, making Fletcher spin to face them, SMG at the ready only to see it was Shining Armour and three groups of guards.

'What's the situation?' he whispered.

'Four dozen barricaded inside, mainly unicorns, with crossbows and I assume combat spells at the ready.' The captain edged round the door's edge, taking in the position of the ponies inside.

'Any idea how to take them on?'

'Yeah, actually. I still have four rockets and five grenades left over. Are they still crouched down behind their barricades?' Shining Armour nodded. 'Great. Get your men to either side of the doorway and on my signal, pull them open and cover your eyes.'

'Got it.' He gave the necessary orders as Fletcher readied his rocket launcher. Shining Armour nodded at him when they were all ready.

'On my mark, open the doors. Mark!' The unicorn pulled the doors open with his magic and closed his eyes. Fletcher launched one salvo, then a second, into the room before tossing three grenades in after them.

'All soldiers, move up!' He threw the spent launcher away and drew his SMG again just as the grenades detonated. The ponies either side of the door ran in, two of them getting hit by spells or crossbow bolts. Fletcher ran alongside them, shooting any remaining cultists that had survived the double onslaught of rockets and grenades. The battle lasted less than a minute and out of the four dozen that had first held out, five remained and even then, they weren't unscathed. Two had lost limbs and a third was bleeding from nearly five dozen small cuts from shrapnel. The remaining two had lost their horns in the resulting battle.

'Throne room secured.' one of the Royal Guards announced. A second and third from elsewhere in the castle arrived shortly after and reported that the rest of the castle had been cleansed. Satisfied the situation was taken care of, Fletcher ordered all but Shining Armour out of the room.

'Ready to get the princesses back?' he asked. The unicorn nodded and watched as Fletcher retrieved the cube from his armour. 'Cube, begin release procedure.' The small crystal began to glow at these words.

'Please say proper authorisation phrase.' The voice came from the cube, and was eerily similar to Celestia's.

'Phrase 'Oly Oly Oxen Free'. Confirm phrase.'

'Phrase confirmed, beginning release procedure.' Fletcher placed the cube on the ground and backed away, motioning for Shining Armour to do the same. The rainbow hue the cube had had for the past few months faded until it was once again clear. The unicorn looked at Fletcher, raising an eyebrow.

'Give it a chance. She's never had to release nine at once before.' A brief flash of light appeared from the cube, retreating to reveal nine ponies blinking at the sudden flash of light.

'Twilli?' Shining Armour asked, stepping forward towards the purple unicorn.

'Shining Armour? Is-is that you?' He nodded and the two ran to hug each other. Then the shrieks started up as Fletcher span round to see what had caused it, SMG at the ready.

'Wh-what happened here?' Fluttershy squealed. Fletcher blinked before taking a closer look round. The corpses of forty cultists still adorned the room, along with four craters from the rocket impacts and scorch marks from the grenades.

'Uh, probably should have chosen a better place to let you all out.' Fletcher gave an uneasy laugh. 'Sorry about that.' He led them out of the room, taking a moment to pick the cube up again, and into to a relatively clean room. Graffiti calling the princesses covered the walls but other than that it was good enough.

'So what exactly happened whilst we were gone?' Celestia asked after pulling Fletcher to one side.

'The Mind of the Grave took over the city and I did my best to make it a living hell but for the past few weeks I've been out of commission with a broken arm. Then Shining Armour showed up with reinforcements and we retook the castle. Then after it was secured I released you. The rest you know.' He holstered his gun. 'And what exactly happened whilst I was gone?' Celestia waved him off with a hoof.

'We made do inside the cube. Nothing exciting happened.' Fletcher nodded and continued to stand there. 'Yes?'

'I'm waiting for my next set of orders. Now you're back I assume I'm back under yours and Luna's domain again.' The princess nodded.

'Yes, you are but neither my sister or I have anything for you to do. I would say resume your duties as a guard for us.'

'Very well. Though I will need to retrieve my equipment.'

'Go, and be quick about it.'

'Yes ma'am.' Fletcher departed and returned to Fancypants' house and clamped his rucksack into place. By the time he had gotten back to the castle, most of the bodies had been cleared away and captured cultists were cleaning away the spilled blood and rubble from Fletcher's rampage to the throne room. He nodded in greeting at the two Royal Guards standing outside the temporary throne room. Inside the princesses were discussing what damage had been done to both the castle and Canterlot in their absence with an Earth pony and a unicorn, both seemingly architects or structural advisors. Twilight and the girls were absent, perhaps they were trying to help somewhere in the castle. The princesses smiled at him when he entered and directed him to a corner of the room where he could put his equipment. Fletcher pulled off his rucksack and placed it on the floor before joining the sisters.

'It seems you have caused a large amount of damage in the past few weeks, Michael.' Celestia said. 'Three bridges destroyed, another eight badly damaged. Two ancient doors blown apart today and the throne room has come to resemble the surface of the moon.'

'Is that all?' Fletcher asked, surprised. 'I thought I did worse than that.' Celestia sighed in annoyance and turned back to the two ponies. Fletcher did as well, glancing over the two. The Earth pony was dark green, almost the colour of an emerald and had a cutie mark depicting the blueprint of a house. The unicorn was a dark brown with a silvery mane. For some reason this rang alarm bells in Fletcher's mind and his hand dipped for his pistol on reflex. When he saw the stallion's cutie mark the warning bells changed to a klaxon and the pistol was brought up and aimed at the unicorn's head.

'Fletcher? What is the meaning of this?' Celestia boomed. The unicorn looked round to see the barrel of the pistol nearly touching him and his eyes widened in fear.

'Princess, does this pile of shit look familiar to you in anyway?'

'Yes, he's one of Canterlot's Royal Architects and has been for over twelve years.' She moved to put herself between Fletcher and the pony. 'And why are you pointing a weapon at him?' Fletcher lowered the pistol, more so he wouldn't accidentally shoot the princess than because she ordered it, and pointed at the cutie mark of his target.

'Does his cutie mark ring any bells? Especially in connection with one of the Elements of Harmony?' The princess gave him a confused look but looked anyway. It was a picture of a wrench and screwdriver over an oil can. There was a brief second until the Alicorn connected the cutie mark and the Element and she moved away from him. As soon as she was clear, Fletcher raised the pistol again.

'Wh-what are you talking about? And what is that thing he's pointing at me?' The architect looked between Fletcher and the princesses. Celestia ignored him and called in another Royal Guard.

'Find Twilight Sparkle and her friends then bring them here at once.' The guard nodded and left. Celestia and Luna sat away from the unicorn. His friend had long since vanished after sensing the situation no longer needed him. Fletcher kept the pistol aimed at the unicorn until the guard returned with the girls in tow.

'Yes princess?' Twilight asked, her eyes flashing over the scene before her.

'I have need of your friend Applejack.' The Earth pony looked up.

'Yes your highness?' She glanced at Fletcher and the pony he was aiming at.

'Could you stand next to Michael and examine this unicorn please?' Celestia never let her eyes move from the architect.

'Uh, okay your highness.' The farmer pony stood next to Fletcher and studied the unicorn as did he. They both reacted at the same time, though they had differing reactions. Applejack backed away, screaming in fright whilst the stallion let a brief smile play over his lips until Fletcher punched him to the ground.

'I think that's as good as any confession as I'll ever need.' Fletcher placed a foot on the injured pony's neck and placed the barrel of the gun onto his temple. 'I promised myself I'd do this if I ever saw you.'

'Stand down, Fletcher!' Celestia yelled as she yanked the weapon away with her magic. 'You will not kill this pony, even after what he did to Applejack. You are a Royal Guard and Knight of Equestria, not some vigilante operating outside the system of law.'

'Wait. Are you saying that this pony is the one who attacked AJ?' Rainbow Dash asked. The princesses and Fletcher nodded. 'Then why aren't you letting Michael beat the snot out of him?'

'Because he is a citizen of Equestria and will face our legal system for his crimes.' Celestia told them.

'But what about when Michael went to Griffonia to deal with King Luthor?' Twilight asked. 'That was to get back for Big Mac and me losing our baby.' Celestia sighed.

'That was in a time of war, and Luthor was a fair target. Had it not been for the war I would have declined and ordered him to stay behind.' Celestia still held Fletcher's pistol in her magic. 'But this pony is not part of a country we are at war with. Yes, what he did was horrific and yes, I would like nothing more than for Michael to beat him but if I allow it I would be no better than him, giving into my wants to satisfy a cruel craving at the cost of another's well being.' Fletcher reached for his pistol. Celestia hesitated before giving it back. 'Escort this filth from my sight and to the dungeons.'

'Yes ma'am.' Fletcher reached down and grabbed the unicorn by his mane, pulling him up roughly and getting a cry of pain. 'Shut up. This isn't the worst I can do. Be thankful she's sparing you life otherwise you'd have a date with gravity and some rope. And I don't mean the gallows. Now march.' Fletcher kicked the pony to get him moving. He kicked him again when he fell to the ground. 'I said march you good for nothing piece of shit.' Eventually the pony was taken down to the dungeon where Fletcher threw him into one of the cells and slammed the door.

'When will I get fed?' the stallion asked.

'Fuck knows, nor do I care.' He left and returned to the two princesses and the Elements, trying to console Applejack. 'Bastard's in the dungeon.'

'Thank you Michael.' Celestia said. 'Have one of the guards feed it at some point.'

'Yes ma'am. When will the trial be held?'

'Soon. But first we have to have the castle restored to its true glory before we can even think of holding a trial.' Luna stated. 'And we need time to fully question him about any others he may have attacked.'

'I wouldn't mind questioning him.' Fletcher offered. The princesses shook their heads.

'That is outside your charter.' Celestia nodded at the devastation he had caused. 'And you need to give a detailed report on what happened during the intervening time without us.'

'I already gave you the short version. I can give you the shorter version or the really short version but I'm not feeling too up to the long-ass version.' Celestia gave him a glare. 'Fine, I'll give you the long version but you might want something comfortable to sit on.' The princess dispatched a guard to bring blankets, pillows and food for everyone before inclining Fletcher to begin his tale. He started with the confrontation with the cult members right after they had disappeared into the cube, then up to the meeting with Shining Armour and the eventual recapture of the castle. By the time he had finished it was dark outside and lanterns had been lit.

'So that's it really. I've been protecting Canterlot as best I can.' Some of the girls yawned. 'It would have been a lot quicker to just give you the short versions.'

'Which are?' Rainbow Dash asked.

'The shorter version or the really short version?'

'Shorter first, then really short.'

'Okay, shorter version: I kicked ass. Really short: mission accomplished.' The blue Pegasus laughed a little.

'Yep, they're short versions alright.' Luna gave a soft laugh as well. Celestia stood and stretched, unfurling her wings.

'It is late. I assume you all will not be returning to Ponyville tonight?' The girls shook their heads. 'I thought as much. One of the guards will escort you to some rooms.' The girls stood, stretching as well as they were met by a guard and taken to their rooms. Fletcher stood as well, clamping his weapons into place.

'In the morning Michael, I want you to begin interrogating the captured cultists on information regarding their cult's main whereabouts and anything else that may be of use to us. You may use whatever method you see fit to gather this information, barring killing them.' Fletcher cocked an eyebrow.

'So, you won't let me interrogate the guy who raped Applejack, but you will let me question a bunch of cult members?' Celestia nodded.

'Though they are members of Equestria, they have denounced their citizenship and labelled themselves as our enemies.' Luna stood by her sister as she spoke. 'In short, they are a nation at war with Equestria and fall under the rules of engagement you drafted for your House. The legal system will not care what happens to them nor what you do to them.'

'Of course. I'll be up bright and early to deal with them. Just tell the rest of the staff not to come running when they hear screaming. Things may get a little messy.' Fletcher drew his knife and traced the edge of the blade with his finger. 'Such a small thing, but so deadly as well.' He replaced it and escorted the princesses to their rooms, largely untouched by the cultists, then left for his room and sank onto the thick covers and soft mattress. Oh how he'd missed this bed. Even through the armour it was the most comfortable thing he'd ever slept on by a long shot. Fletcher set the alarm on his armour for half past six, giving him just over seven hours of sleep before he was back at work.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Twelve

'Tell me where it is!' A punch landed, breaking the Earth pony's nose. He whimpered but said nothing. 'I said tell me!' A kick this time, smashing into ribs. Still the pony said nothing. His attacker snarled in frustration and hurled him into the wall. His vision began to cloud over from the impact as his head was forced up and into the face of the princesses Royal Guard, the one they knew as the Demon. A beaten, bloodied and broken pony was reflected back in the creature's mirrored face.

'N-never foul beast.' He coughed and blood came out. The Demon growled and brought over a large bucket filled with what he hoped was water.

'Tell me. Where the fuck. You guys are based.' Each sentence was punctuated with his head being forced into the bucket which was not filled with water. The pony gasped for air each time his head came up. Another dunking before he was thrown again, this time into the remains of a table. The Demon stepped over and brandished a large plank of wood.

'I can do this all day and all night if I have to.' He brought the plank down on the pony's hind legs, breaking them. 'We have doctors who can keep you from dying from even the most severe of wounds.' Another strike. 'Sooner or later you'll crack.' A third. 'And then it'll be over.' The pony gasped. Every fibre of his being was in the worst imaginable pain possible and then some. But his faith in the Saviour would guide him. He would not break.

'My f-faith i-is strong. I will not su-submit. Do your very worst, Demon. My faith in the Gravemind will allow me to overcome this.' The Demon snorted.

'Overcome this.' He drew his knife and plunged it into the break in his hind leg. The stallion screamed as flesh and bone parted. His sight began to fade as the pain reached unimaginable levels. The Demon injected him with something that brought him back from the brink. 'Not done yet. Now I get to beat you with your own leg.' He laughed. 'I've always threatened I'd do that to someone. Now I can.' The plank of wood was exchanged for the leg and the beating continued.

Fletcher looked down at the sorry excuse of a pony before him and growled in frustration. Despite over an hour of solid interrogation the pony hadn't revealed anything and was now lying unconscious and missing a leg. He sighed and flung the cell door open, calling for two guards.

'Take this thing to the infirmary and bring me another.' They gave each other concerned looks as they carried out his orders. To say Fletcher was in a bad mood would have been an understatement. He'd awoken after having a dream where he had been surrounded by happy couples and families but each attempt to get close had pushed them away until he was alone. And his slow progress with this pony and the two before him today had only served to worsen his mood. The guards deposited another cult member, this one barely old enough to leave home, and left. Fletcher dragged the pony into the middle of the room and slammed the door shut. The prisoner gave a small whimper. Fletcher kneeled in front of him.

'I'm going to ask you one question, and one question only. Answer it, and you walk out of here unscathed. Refuse and well,' He hefted the severed leg. 'Things get interesting.' His prisoner whimpered again. 'The question I'm going to ask is: where are you and your friends are based.' The pony began to chant a small prayer. Fletcher sighed as he punched the cultist square between the eyes and sent him sprawling to the floor.

'Wrong answer. Now we do things the hard way.' He grabbed the pony by his mane and slammed his head into the ground three times before releasing a powerful kick to the abdomen. 'Had enough?' The pony kept chanting as Fletcher grabbed him again and dunked his head into the bucket and held him there for nearly a full minute. His spluttered and tried to draw a breath as his head was plunged under again. He coughed when he was brought up.

'Tell me, and it will all stop.'

'N-never.' The pony yelped as he was launched into a wall, his head making a solid thump as it connected with the stone work. Fletcher stamped on his leg, breaking it. The yelp turned to a scream as the broken appendage was used to drag the pony out of the cell and into the hallway. Captured cult members rushed to the edge of their cell doors to see what was happening. Fletcher grabbed a nearby torch and held it close to the crippled pony's genitals.

'This is what happens when you don't answer my questions! Let it be a lesson for all of you in me being nice to someone. I can and will do worse to whoever doesn't answer my questions next.' Fletcher thrust the flaming torch to the stallion's manhood and kept it there for twenty seconds before taking it away. Burnt flesh and hair rose from the mutilated pony as Fletcher called for the guards to take him away. Then he began to prowl the cells, seeking out his next victim. He stopped outside one, the ponies inside cowering away from him. Fletcher pointed at one in particular.

'You. You're next.' The chosen pony, a Pegasus mare, shrieked and tried to back further into the cell as Fletcher opened it and dragged her out, torch still in hand. 'One question. That's all, just one. Where is your cult based?' Fear, and a strange sense of protecting the cult, prevented her from speaking. Fletcher waited a split second before striking her with the torch. She screamed and covered her face with her legs. Fletcher dragged them away and hit her again with the torch.

'TELL ME WHERE IT IS!' She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Fletcher abandoned the torch and extended one wing, drew his pistol and fired at the joint. Fresh screams and blood erupted as the bullet tore through flesh and bone. He did the same on the other side, and then dragged her by a wing to in front of another cell. The inhabitants looked on in horror at the display of violence against the mare.

'Tell me where the fuck you all came from or I'll take of each and every wing, horn and leg that you've got and then burn you to death.' He kicked the mare on the floor. 'Just tell me **WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE BASED!**' Everyone flinched at his outburst, even the guards as they took the Pegasus away. Fletcher reached into another cell and brought out a unicorn by the horn. He threw him to the ground.

'Same question. Where?' The unicorn trembled as Fletcher towered above him.

'W-we're based in the old town of Coltsdale.' He cowered as Fletcher leaned closer. 'I swear, it's the truth! Coltsdale, we're based in Coltsdale!' Somewhere a pony called him a traitor. Fletcher drew his pistol and stood in front of the cell that the voice came from. Immediately the ponies moved away from presumably the one who had spoken, a unicorn. His eyes widened in fear as Fletcher raised the pistol and shot him dead.

'Anyone else got an opinion? No? Then speak only when I speak to you.' He turned and dragged the pony who had spoken to his feet and marched him upstairs to the map room. 'Show me where Coltsdale is.' The unicorn complied and reached for a map of all Equestria and pointed to a stretch just west of Las Pegasus in the northern desert.

'Here. That's where Coltsdale is.'

'You sure?' Fletcher asked. 'Because if you're lying, what you saw down in the dungeons is a taste of what's to come if that turns out to be a waste of my time. Understand?' The unicorn merely nodded, too afraid to speak. Fletcher called for a guard to take him back down to the cells and left to speak with the princesses. They were both in the temporary throne room, discussing improvements for the castle when he walked in. Fletcher bowed.

'Princesses, I've found their base of operations.' They nodded, still focused on the improvements.

'I trust it wasn't too...' Luna started to speak but stopped short when she finally looked at Fletcher. Blood covered his hands and feet, whilst dust had mixed with it to form a pale paste on his chest. 'What in Equestria did you do?' Celestia and the architect both snapped their heads up to see what she meant and were shocked by the sight.

'I carried out my orders. Obtain information at any cost, excluding the death of a prisoner.' He shifted on his feet. 'May have not quite followed my orders to the letter there but I still managed to get the information.' The two sisters blinked. 'They're in the old town of Coltsdale near Las Pegasus.

'J-just what methods did you employ to retrieve this information?' Fletcher shook his head.

'You don't want to know. And even if you ordered me to, I wouldn't tell. Trust me on this one.' Besides, they only had to visit the infirmary to see the results of his handiwork. Five ponies hospitalised, maybe even crippled for life, and most definitely scarred for life.

'Were they painful?' Celestia asked.

'Not important. We know where they are living and now they can be dealt with.' Fletcher glanced down at his armour. 'Maybe I should go wash up. I should be done in about half an hour or so.' The princesses nodded as though in a daze. When he returned, his armour was clean and the princesses were alone. They didn't look too happy.

'Fletcher, we have just been down to the dungeon to speak with some guards. We then visited the hospital and found some rather unpleasant things.' Fletcher felt uneasy. Celestia had called him by his last time, and he remembered what had happened the last time she'd done that.

'And?' he asked, tentatively.

'We found evidence that you used unsavoury methods to gain an answer from these cultists. And that you have mutilated three of them and killed another.'

'But you said I was allowed to use whatever methods I saw fit to get those answers.' Fletcher countered. 'And the death thing happened after I got the information so technically, my orders were completed to the letter.' The two sisters shared an unhappy look.

'When my sister gave you free reign over the methods, she hoped you would act with restraint.' Luna explained. Fletcher crossed his arms.

'Well maybe you should have said that earlier. When I'm told any means necessary, I use any means necessary.' He unfolded his arms. 'I'm not from this planet. I don't have the same inhibitions as the rest of you. I wouldn't object if you told me to dismember someone to get information from them, but only if there was a very good reason behind that order.'

'But what you did was barbaric!'

'I'm human. We can be kind one minute, bastards the next. And I gave each of them enough chances to tell me where they were and the interrogation would be over.' He looked at each princess in turn. 'You both know what I'm capable of. Remember what I did to those griffins? Or those Diamond Dogs?' He shook his head. 'I've been here for nearly six months and I've done things like this before. If you don't like my methods, you don't have to send me to do things.' Celestia sighed.

'I suppose, but I would have hoped your time here may have swayed you to be more compassionate towards others.'

'I was a veteran of seven years in one of the most dangerous military units in history. I've seen and done things that no one on this planet can imagine. I've faced the Covenant, the Flood and a plethora of dangerous creatures. You don't live through that by being kind.' Though Fletcher knew it was a lie, some part of him felt as though it was actually true. Well, Moore did say they gave him the mind of a seven year veteran. Maybe those memories were buried below the surface, just waiting to be called upon.

'Perhaps. But that still does not justify your actions. We expect all beings to show concern for each other, even during war.' Fletcher snorted.

'You never met the Covenant.'

'Enough.' Celestia ordered. 'Whilst you are still part of the Royal Guard and a Knight of Equestria, you will act with more restraint when dealing with others. Both friend _and_ foe unless we order otherwise. Am I making myself clear?'

'Yes ma'am.'

'Good. Now let us turn our attention to Coltsdale and its inhabitants.' She levitated a map of the region over. 'You are sure that this is where they are based?' Fletcher nodded.

'When the unicorn gave up the location one of his pals called him a traitor. Although I could go ask a few more.'

'No. You've done more than enough in that regard.'

'Fine. Just trying to make sure we got the right intel on this place.' He sighed. 'Well, I've told you all I know. What do either of you two know about Coltsdale?'

'Not much, I'm afraid.' Luna said. 'It was once a mining town that collapsed due to a lack viable minerals to keep it going. It was abandoned around two years after it was started.'

'And now it has new lodgers.' Fletcher frowned as he studied the distance. Nearly two thousand miles if the legend was correct. 'That's a lonely place to set up shop if you're planning on toppling a regime a few thousand miles away.'

'Perhaps they have found something of worth in the old mines.' Luna offered. 'They may have stumbled onto a treasure trove of gems.'

'Maybe.' He studied the small drawing of the town. 'What exactly were they mining there?'

'Precious metal, I think.' Celestia struggled to remember what it was exactly. 'Unfortunately I cannot remember.' She called for a guard to fetch the official documents on the town. Fletcher used the time to study the layout of the town. Provided they hadn't made too many changes, this place would be easy to attack. The guard returned and handed a stack of parchments to the princess. She held one up and read over it.

'Ah yes, the original metal they set out to discover was silver and gold but they found only small quantities of the ore.'

'Did they find anything else?' The princess read on.

'Yes, a silvery-white metal. And in large quantities too. But unfortunately they were unable to find a suitable use for the metal. That and it seemed to have rather unpleasant side effects on those who dug it up and those who attempted to work with it.'

'Such as?' Fletcher mulled over various battle plans, half listening. Maybe the bulk of the force could move up from the south then split and attack from the west as well.

'Vomiting, hair and weight loss, abdominal pains, dizziness, even reports of tumours in miners who spent most of their time below.' She flicked to another page. 'Oh my.'

'What?' Fletcher looked up. A small feeling of unease had taken root in his mind and he didn't know why.

'This report into the metal claims that quite a few of the miners died shortly after they left Coltsdale, and that any children they had suffered from horrible disfigurements.' She lowered the parchment. 'I cannot believe such a material could exist.' Fletcher took the paper from her, flicking through it. The symptoms sounded familiar to something he had idly looked over in science class at school. Though his illness database on humans and ponies was woefully inadequate, he might strike lucky again.

'Okay, so nausea, hair loss, tumours, stomach pains.' He flitted through them all and came back with one possible reason. 'Oh shit.' He dropped the paper. 'Does this metal have a name?' Celestia nodded and brought over another paper.

'Urneighium. Apparently it was named for a planet.'

'No way. No fucking way.' Fletcher glanced back at the map. 'I can accept places being a combination of horse-related things like Manehatten but please, not this.'

'Michael? Are you okay?' Luna asked, unnerved by the human's actions.

'Maybe, maybe not. Do we have any samples or urneighium anywhere? I need to check something.'

'Of course. I'll have a guard fetch one.' Luna was about to call for a guard when Fletcher stopped her.

'No, I'd prefer to check it where it is. If my suspicions are correct, we may have a slight problem on our hands.' Luna just nodded and called for a guard to take Fletcher to the urneighium samples. All the while they were heading there, Fletcher alternated between swearing and cursing at whatever had created the universe. They reached a set of double doors. Fletcher waved the guard off and stepped inside. It was dark, prompting him to activate both VISR and his torch as he made his way inside. The room was filled with boxes upon boxes of samples of different elements and their combinations. A few of the names he recognised, butchered to suit the equestrian world above, and a few he didn't. After ten minutes he reached the U section, surprisingly empty of all but a few boxes. It didn't take long to find the box in question and retrieve the object inside. His armour immediately began detecting an increase in radioactivity, the built in Geiger counter starting to click. Fletcher replaced it and returned upstairs, taking a moment to vigorously wash his hands. Mentally, he knew the piece had been too small to hold much of a danger and he'd dropped it pretty damn quickly. But it was radioactive, and he didn't want to get anything like that near the princesses. They looked up at his return.

'Would you care to explain what that was all about?' Luna asked.

'We may have a problem. Have either of you heard of nuclear materials or nuclear fission?' They glanced at each other.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Thirteen

After a brief, and lacking, explanation into nuclear materials and their more destructive applications Fletcher had been dispatched to the area around Coltsdale with orders to wipe the town away for good. The chariot bumped and jostled as it touched down, shaking Fletcher and his weapons of choice around until they came to a stop. The human jumped out and retrieved his gear: the trusty MA5K and a duplicate sniper rifle. If there was a bomb on site, something Fletcher hoped wasn't the case, he might have to get far away after rigging an impact detonator and use a bullet to trigger it. Though his knowledge of nuclear physics was lacking, he knew far more about nuclear explosions. And he wanted to be well away from one if it ever occurred. Bringing himself out from his reprieve Fletcher slung the sniper rifle across his back and shouldered his rifle as he moved towards the mining town.

It had grown a little, compared to the maps, with small shacks covering the immediate area around it and extending for half a mile in all directions. Cultists moved from place to place with a sense of urgency as Fletcher crept closer. He'd found a place to stash his sniper rifle to the south on top of a hill just under the sniper's maximum range from the town. The sun was going down and a thick cloud layer was beginning to form. When Fletcher had been ordered to take the town out, he'd asked for help from the two princesses. Well, more from Luna than Celestia. He'd asked the younger Alicorn to keep the moon in deep shadow for as long as possible and the local weather team had been coerced to maintain a cloud layer until told otherwise. The combination meant it was pitch black at night, giving Fletcher an unfair advantage over the town's inhabitants. The sun dipped below the horizon and darkness soon swallowed the land. That was his cue. Silently, Fletcher moved into the town's edges and went looking for the leader's main office. If there were any records of a bomb being built, he would find it there. There was just one problem: which house was the one he needed?

'Fuck. This is going to be fun.' He muttered as he pressed on, making it to the original town square. On his left were converted shops and saloons. The right held a prison and town hall. All the names had been painted over, pro-Gravemind chants written on them. Deciding the town hall would probably be his best bet, Fletcher crept over to it. A few ponies were walking through the square, discussing the odd weather.

'I'm telling ya, it's got to be the princesses. They're punishing all the sheep because we managed to make them look like fools. They're daring somepony to speak out against them.' The first sounded confident in his assessment. His friend wasn't so sure.

'I don't think so. I get the feeling it's like a way of relieving tension, either because of us or none of the stallions they get bucked by each night can give them the right kind of satisfaction.' The first voice objected and soon enough an argument had erupted as they walked on. Fletcher smiled to himself and shook his head. If only they knew the real reason. Turning back to the task at hand, he made his way into the town hall, its rotted door offering no resistance. Inside it was dark and silent, though the odd creak and groan sounded now and then.

'Mayor's office, mayor's office. Where is the mayor's office?' Fletcher hummed to himself, searching through the many rooms until he finally found one right at the top, a massive oak desk taking up most of the room. None of the draws were locked and he soon found something that confirmed his worst fears. A file labelled 'THE DEVICE', alongside reports on the urneighium and possible applications. Fletcher was able to determine that the Device was stored underground in the old mines, and that no less than twenty guards were assigned to it at any one point. He continued to flick through the files then stopped when he came across a list of targets for the bomb. The first name was circled and had the note 'priority' written next to it. The target was Ponyville, and the date was set for the next Summer Sun Celebration when the town would be packed with families and friends of residents. Images of burnt, disfigured and dead ponies filled Fletcher's mind. A steely resolve filled him.

'No way. That ain't going to happen you FUBAR fucktards. The princesses are fair game, but Ponyville is out of bounds. Now and forever.' He scrunched the files up into a small pile and withdrew a lighter he had. The small flame it produced illuminated the darkened place as he brought it down to the papers. They caught and Fletcher ran out of the hall and towards the mine entrance. He heard the cries of terror from behind as the town hall became engulfed in a towering inferno of fire and smoke before it was lost to the silence of the mine. It was dark, far darker than it had been outside but the VISR function countered this, highlighting the various support beams and old mine carts that littered the area. His armour's Geiger began to tick the further into the mine he went and Fletcher began to worry how much his suit could protect him from. Thankfully the levels merely rose to be just above the normal background count.

'That won't last long.' He mused, wondering just how big the yield of the bomb could be. Hiroshima and Nagasaki had increased radiation levels but they were tolerable. Then things like the Tsar Bomba and Castle Bravo had happened. They had devastated the test sites for years to come, but they had been thermonuclear blasts. The notes on the Device didn't mention anything that might help boost the yield, meaning it was a regular, little old atomic bomb. In the hands of mad cultists. Who would kill hundreds of ponies if he didn't stop them. Not a comforting thought. He kept his rifle raised as he rounded one last corner and made it to the very bottom level. A crude door was set into the wall ahead and the fabled twenty or so guards stood outside it.

Sneak by? Or grenades? Fletcher considered his options. Sneaking by would mean he'd have to make it past twenty alert guards and then open a big metal door that probably hadn't seen oil in years. Grenades would announce he was here and they would send more down to stop him. Decisions, decisions.

'Fuck it.' Fletcher began to reach for a grenade but checked the motion when the door swung open and a dozen or so ponies wearing lab coats stepped out, chatting to each other and walked along the corridor towards the surface. Pressing himself against the wall, Fletcher watched as all but five of the guards left with them.

'The hell?' He glanced between the departing crowd and the remaining guards. Didn't they say twenty guards would always stay with the bomb? Unless they were escorting the scientists through the mines. As if to confirm that, the glow of illumination spells bounced back towards him and grew fainter with each passing moment. Now he had only five ponies to deal with. Easy. He drew his pistol and dispatched them with a single headshot each. The door was a simple affair, no locks, and he was soon inside the laboratory containing the bomb. To say it was built in a mine run by crazed cultists, they seemed to have a fairly advanced set up. Machines Fletcher had no clue about dotted the area and wires led into the centre of the room.

'Well, well, well. Looks like I found me one hell of a firecracker.' Fletcher followed the wires to a squat looking device. He felt chills run down his spine when he saw it. This was quite possibly a functioning atomic bomb. His knees wobbled a bit before Fletcher began looking around for a detonation device of some kind. The bomb would be too heavy for a Pegasus to carry, meaning air deployment was out of the question. So that left a timer, or a remote frequency. It turned out that there were both kinds. Maybe these cultists didn't trust either method so they went for two for insurance.

'Timer or remote?' Fletcher asked aloud. The timer would be the most reliable, hopefully, and give him the time needed to escape the blast radius. Though the remote would allow him to make sure he was clear before detonation but he wasn't sure of either its reliability or the frequency. He decided to test his luck and began rummaging through the files scattered along one side of the lab and to his surprise found the correct frequency to detonate. It was well within his armour's capability. Satisfied he could rig it correctly, Fletcher began to find the tools necessary to attach the receiver to the detonation circuits. Then his luck ran out. Shouts from outside the room and the clattering of hooves on rock then metal announced the presence of the returning guards finding the dead bodies of their compatriots.

'Shit.' Fletcher span, rifle at the ready. The guards swarmed into the room and spotted him almost instantly. He had deactivated his camouflage systems to work on the bomb. They were a mixture of unicorns and Earth ponies, carrying swords and spells. One unicorn charged a spell and fired it at the human, only for it to miss and smash the remote detonator. Fletcher swore as he fired at the pony responsible, catching him in the chest and dropping him. More spells were flung his way, hitting and destroying the various machines he ducked behind. Fletcher waited until the rate of spells dropped and threw a primed grenade, away from the bomb and the timer. It detonated and screams resonated throughout the battlefield. A trio of blips made their way towards Fletcher from his left, resolving to form three Earth ponies wielding swords in their mouths. He reacted without thought and sprayed the three with a full clip of ammunition. Two died whilst the third was badly wounded and crawled away.

'Fuck yeah! Don't mess with an ODST horse boy.' He reloaded and popped up from his cover, firing at those in the open and brought another three down, then ducked again. Fletcher did a quick head count. Of the twenty, five were lying dead outside, six had been cut down and another was badly crippled. And that wasn't including the ponies taken out by the grenade. So, total of twelve dead minimum, eight still kicking maximum. Easy. More motion contacts, to the right this time. Fletcher primed another grenade and rolled it across the floor. It stopped just as an Earth pony and a unicorn appeared then exploded, cutting the two to bloody ribbons. Six remaining. Fletcher flinched as three spells impacted against his cover and began to warm the metal. He rolled away from it and fired low along the imagined trajectories. Two cries of pain and a yelp of surprise shot back. He stood and walked forward, swapping the nearly spent clip for a fresh one. Two more Earth ponies charged from either side, yelling at the top of their lungs. He drew his pistol and fired it at the left hand pony whilst the rifle was shot at the right hand one. They both dropped, dead, as the lone human holstered his pistol and once again swapped magazines in the rifle. Four more attackers, two or so wounded to an extent, were all that remained. A bolt of magic narrowly missed Fletcher's faceplate, causing him to spin round and fire at a glowing horn. It disappeared from sight amid a scream.

'I know that there are probably three left, most, if not all of you, wounded. Come out and I'll go easy on you. It's only a matter of time before I find you. Just make it easy on yourselves.' He waited for a response. A small cough and grunt of pain came from the left.

'We-we'll never surrender to you, Demon.' Fletcher hurled another grenade to the source of the voice. It went off and Fletcher moved to see what he had killed. The remains of three ponies, two unicorns and a single Earth pony, were spread over a wide area. Intestines were draped over the twisted hulk of a bank of monitors and a single hoof had landed on a worktop.

'Anyone else? Anyone alive?' Silence answered him. 'Oh well.' A quick check of the room revealed no living ponies, just dead ones. Nodding to himself, Fletcher returned to the bomb and inspected the remote detonator. The spell had obliterated it and Fletcher couldn't find a replacement one.

'Shit.' He sifted through the debris on the floor for the timer, a little relieved to see it was intact. He swapped it and began to figure out how to arm it. There were four reels, each with the numbers zero to nine on them, and two buttons. One was marked with a clock, the other was much the same but had a cross over the clock. He figured the first was to start the timer, the other to cancel it.

'Works for me.' Fletcher set the timer as high as it would go, almost one hundred minutes, and bolted it into place. He crossed his fingers. 'Here goes everything, here goes nothing.' He depressed the button and immediately it began clicking down to zero. Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief before realising he'd just activated an atomic bomb and he wasn't running away. He brought up the timer function on his armour and gave himself ninety-nine minutes. Now, he ran.

The town had come alive with the burning of the town hall as dozens, if not hundreds, of cultists swarmed around, talking with each other and offering various theories why. They ranged from a simple candle burning the hall down to it being an act of the tyrant whores trying to smite them. Fletcher had to crawl onto the roof of the old saloon to avoid bumping into anyone. All the while the timer was counting down to zero, a little too quickly for Fletcher's liking. It had already been ten minutes since he'd activated the bomb and he still had to clear the village and get to what he hoped was a minimum safe distance. This was going to be a nerve wracking experience for him.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit.' Fletcher ran as fast as he could in the sand as the timer entered the final ten minutes. He'd gotten to his original vantage point and beyond, leaving the sniper rifle where it was, and now he scrambled to find any kind of cover. The town was a little over two miles behind him, more than likely safe enough, especially as it was an underground detonation. But he was leaving nothing to chance. He jumped over a small fissure in the ground and carried on running. To stop now would be suicide. Then the timer hit zero. It started as a low rumble and earthquake then changed up a gear and it felt like the whole damn planet was shaking apart. The fissure Fletcher had vaulted earlier erupted with flames and an overpressure so powerful it threw Fletcher into the air and launched him down a slope. He tumbled and screamed, in fright or in pain he couldn't tell. He was aware of only the heat, noise and a massive shockwave as he fell. He hit something and his vision went black.

Celestia looked up at the sound of somepony approaching, but looked down again when it turned out to be one of her staff, performing his duties. She sighed. It had been nearly three weeks since Fletcher had been sent to Coltsdale and missed his chariot at the allotted time. Flights over the area had revealed nothing aside from a crater where the old mining town had been and a large cloud. Celestia hoped the Pegasi pulling the chariot had avoided it. If Fletcher's warnings had been any indicator, she assumed the cloud held was incredibly toxic. Whenever the princess heard somepony approach, she hoped it would be the saviour of Canterlot, battered yet breathing. But it never was.

'Tia, it's been weeks since anypony saw or heard from him. I know it's not that long but we may have to assume the worst. He knew the risks more than any of us. He knew what those weapons could do and still he went.' Luna sat closer to her big sister, draping a wing over her. 'We can always canonise him for his actions in keeping Equestria safe. It is the least we can do.' Celestia sighed.

'Perhaps. But I still feel we should hold out some hope. He is resilient to most things we could throw his way, and I assume anything anypony else could.' She sat up. 'I would like to wait another week before making any decisions. If we have received no word of Michael in that week he shall be recognised as a hero of Equestria. Even if nopony knew of what he did, it would be fitting to honour him.' Luna nodded and drew her sister closer, nuzzling her.

The week came and went as Celestia walked with dread towards the Master Glass Maker. She would commission a stained glass window to commemorate Fletcher's actions for all of time and allow it to join those of Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon and Discord. She raised a hesitant hoof and knocked three times. The Master Glass Maker opened the door and bowed at the sight of the princess.

'Princess Celestia, how wonderful to see you again.' She rose and ushered the Alicorn inside her workshop.

'It is good to see you again as well, Phoenicia. But I'm afraid this isn't to catch up.'

'Oh.' She nodded and moved to her work bench. 'How may I be of service?'

'I need you to craft a stained glass mural for a fallen Equestrian hero.' The pony nodded again, sadly this time.

'Of course. Who was this hero?'

'He was a Royal Guard that went above and beyond the call of duty in the service of Equestria. I will bring you an image of him soon.' Celestia stood and left the workshop, thanking the pony as she went. She returned to the throne room to an excited Luna holding a tattered scroll of parchment.

'Tia! I have some wonderful news!' She ushered her sister closer and held the parchment close. On it were six words written in a plain script.

'Las Pegasus, Sacred Hoof Hospital. Fletcher.' Celestia read. Her eyes widened as the realisation hit. Fletcher was alive. 'Ready the Royal Chariot for a journey to Las Pegasus.' She looked at her sister, smiling broadly.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: ****I don't own My Little Pony or Halo. They belong to Hasbro and Bungie/Microsoft/343 Industries respectively. I own Michael Fletcher.**

Chapter Fourteen

Right foot, left foot, wince, repeat. Fletcher kept this mantra going through his head as he walked steadily east, following the small arrow on his faceplate. Las Pegasus, safety and medical care was behind that arrow. He had been following it for the last five hours, ever since he awoke at the bottom of a one-hundred foot slope and a mushroom cloud towering high above, and would continue to do so until he either met someone who could help or he reached his destination. As he walked his mind idly flickered over his wounds. His left shin felt like it had a small break. His ribs on the right side were on fire and each breath was ragged and sparked more pain. His head throbbed occasionally and the world would sway for a brief second before righting itself. But these were the wounds that held his attention the most. His entire body ached and cried out for care and attention. There was nothing for him to do aside from keep going and recite the mantra in his head. Right foot, left foot, wince, repeat.

Eventually, Las Pegasus came into view as Fletcher crested a hill. It was big, far bigger than Canterlot, and awash with artificial light. He'd been walking for two days straight, his limp and slow pace making what would have been an easy journey of thirty miles into a gruelling march. Ponies stared at him as he walked down one of the streets, his armour and rifle standing out, as did the medallion identifying him as an agent of the princesses. Fletcher could barely think straight, let alone talk. His basic plan at this moment was to make it to a hospital and collapse in the reception. Simple. Ahead was his goal: the hospital. Fletcher quickened his pace slightly and managed to get inside the building and to the front desk. Those sat in the waiting room looked up at his arrival then got to their feet when he collapsed. At least he thought so.

'I'm not sure what to make of it. I've never seen a creature like this before, but it must be part of Equestria. Just look at this medallion. They are given out to only those who act directly under the princesses themselves.' Fletcher vaguely became aware of his surroundings as he regained consciousness. He was in a bed that was too hard and itchy, in a white room that was too bright and smelly, listening to one person talk to another.

'But it could have stolen it from an actual Agent. We have no idea what it can do at all.' Fletcher began flexing his fingers, trying to get some feeling back into them. His left leg was in a cast and bandages were wrapped round his chest and abdomen. The pain he had felt was distant and ignorable.

'I'm telling you, if this creature had killed an Agent, the medallion would have crumbled to dust the moment they were killed. So, this creature works for the princesses.' The human swivelled his eyes to the right, then to left and saw two pony doctors talking to each other.

'Hello?' he called out, his voice weak and raspy. 'Can I have some water?' The two doctors jumped as he spoke but regained their composure quickly enough and walked to be either side of him. The one on the left, a Pegasus, held a look of uncertainty whilst right-hand unicorn was more curious as he lifted a small glass of water up. Fletcher drank it down greedily, spilling most down his chin.

'Thanks.' His voice was more like its old self. 'Can I have some more?'

'Sure.' The unicorn refilled the glass and Fletcher drank it slowly, managing to get most in his mouth this time. The doctor took the glass away. 'Now that you're awake, I was hoping you might feel up to answering some questions.' Fletcher nodded.

'But before we do that, how long have I been out?'

'Two days. You came into the hospital and collapsed from exhaustion and your wounds. We managed to get your clothing off and treat you.' Fletcher looked round at the mention of his armour. 'Don't worry, it's safe and sound. As soon as you are fit to move you can have it back.'

'Thanks.' He shifted in the bed. 'What kind of injuries did I have?'

'Well, seeing as we didn't know what kind of creature you are we had to make a few guess about your anatomy.' The doctor levitated a chart over. 'Ah yes. We summarised that you broke three ribs with one rubbing against you lung and causing a small bleed. We patched that up and set your ribs. Just avoid any strenuous activity and you'll be fine. Then you had a fracture on you left leg and three toes had been dislocated. They're now in place and the leg will be healed in about six or so weeks.'

'Anything else?' Fletcher let his hand trace the bandages and cast as he listened.

'Your skull suffered a minor fracture and gave you a bad concussion. The fact that you were able to walk was remarkable. And aside from a multitude of bruises and stretched tendons, those are the extent of your injuries.' Fletcher nodded.

'Now, you said you had some questions for me. What kind of questions?' The Pegasus, who had until now been silent, spoke up.

'For starters, what you're doing with a symbol of the princesses. They are only given out to those the princesses consider to be worthy of carrying out their will.' Fletcher nodded.

'I know. That's why I was given one by Princess Celestia. She considers me to be worthy.' He held a shaking hand out. 'Now could I have it back?' The Pegasus started to object but the unicorn silenced him with a glare and handed the medallion over. Fletcher thanked him and placed it round his neck.

'Please excuse my colleague here. He can be a little hostile to things he doesn't know about. And I completely forgot to introduce us. I'm Doctor Eagle Eye and this is my friend Doctor Marion. And you are?'

'Michael Fletcher. Royal Guard and Knight of Equestria. Nice to meet the two of you.'

'A Knight _and _a Royal Guard?' Eagle Eye asked. Fletcher nodded. 'I am honoured to have worked on such a noble and important figure in Equestrian society.'

'You're welcome, I guess.' Fletcher shifted in the bed. He didn't particularly like telling people he was a Knight, he never had. 'Next question?'

'Yes, what are you exactly? Your body shares many similarities with infant dragons and certain species of Diamond Dogs but has none of the usual magic associated with an inhabitant of this land.' He rechecked the chart. 'Instead, you have a very different, very powerful magic residing inside that doesn't seem to be natural to you.'

'Yeah, that's kind of a long story and I don't think you'd want to hear it.' Marion snorted.

'It's not like you're going anywhere with that cast on. We have all the time in the world.' He ruffled his feathers slightly. 'And it's been such a long time since I heard a good story.' Fletcher glared at him, as did Eagle Eye. He stared back. Eventually, Fletcher returned to look at the unicorn.

'I'm called a human being and no, we don't have magic of our own. What's inside me,' He patted his chest and winced at the pain. 'Is a magic that I got only a few months ago.' Eagle Eye made a few notes on the chart, probably amending the species from whatever it was to human.

'Where exactly do you come from? I've never heard of the species human being before in any medical textbook. And that clothing you have, what is it for?' Fletcher faltered a little. Should he tell them everything? Or just a little? Just a little.

'I'm from an advanced civilisation that's far away from here. Very far away.' Fletcher paused, imagining Earth and his family. 'As for my clothing, it's a type of armour my people developed to keep me hidden and protected from harm.' Both ponies looked at each other.

'You fight other creatures?' Marion shook his head. 'I don't know why the princesses would give you a Knighthood if you do that.'

'Maybe I've defended the Elements of Harmony from a grave threat and saved both Celestia and Luna from harm?' Fletcher looked at the Pegasus. 'Or maybe it's because I'm such a nice guy. Either way, I earned it fair and square. I've probably done more for Equestria than you ever will.' Eagle Eye took a step back.

'You've know the Elements?' Fletcher nodded.

'Quite well actually. It's one of my duties as a Knight to protect them.' He looked out of the nearby window. 'And I probably need to let the princesses know I'm alive. Does Las Pegasus have a mail delivery system?'

'Of course. What do you take us for? Ponyville?' Marion gave Fletcher a derisive look.

'No. And I originally lived in Ponyville, so watch your tone.' They glared at each other until Eagle Eye stepped in.

'Marion, why don't you step outside and do your rounds. I can deal with this patient.' The Pegasus snorted in annoyance and stormed off. Eagle Eye offered an apologetic look until Fletcher waved him off.

'Don't worry about it. I've met plenty of assholes in my lifetime. He's nothing compared to some others.'

'Of course. Shall I fetch a scroll of parchment for you to use?'

'Yes please.'

It would take a few weeks until the letter would arrive at the castle, meaning Fletcher was relegated to bed rest whilst his leg and ribs healed. Rather than spend it doing nothing, he spent most of it looking over his armour for damage after Eagle Eye brought it up for him. What he found confused him. He'd been thrown down a one-hundred foot slope by an atomic explosion, hitting rocks and bumps along the way, but his armour was spotless. Not a single scratch or scrape to be found. Hell, it looked damn near brand new. The only logical conclusion he could come to was that Moore had installed a repair function into the system that would come online whenever it got damaged enough.

'Huh.' He turned his attention to his rifle, strangely happy to see it was covered in dings and dents. His first priority when he'd woken up was to find his rifle. Fletcher felt it was a part of him and to lose it would be like losing a part of himself. The pistol had survived intact too and was now hidden under his pillow, a small comfort.

Fletcher shifted impatiently as Eagle Eye removed the cast, ahead of schedule after only three and a bit weeks. The unicorn had offered no answer, merely nodding to himself as though it was perfectly natural. Fletcher just went along with it and flexed his leg for the first time in nearly a month, worried at its weakness. Eagle Eye reassured him it was natural and sent him on a strict physical regimen to restore it to working order. All the while Doctor Marion had looked on with contempt at Fletcher's progress, muttering things under his breath too quiet to be heard. The human ignored them and soon enough had his armour back in place and his weapons returned to their rightful places.

'Everything checks out.' Fletcher said to himself as the suit finished a diagnostic. The panels faded to resemble the walls of the hospital and Eagle Eye let out a low whistle.

'Never seen that before.' Fletcher deactivated the system.

'And hopefully, never will. Now all I have to do is wait for the princesses to arrive.' He stretched and shook his arms out. A sharp laugh came from outside.

'Like they'd really come. I bet everything you've been telling us is complete horse manure.' Marion appeared from behind the door. 'And you forged that medallion.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Fletcher paused as his armour picked up a high speed target inbound. 'Looks like you're about to be eating that shit in a few moments.' He turned to Eagle Eye. 'The princesses have arrived.' Below them a fanfare of cries of surprise rose up through the halls and drew nearer, along with the sound of at least eight, maybe twelve hooves. The door opened to reveal both Celestia and Luna with a nurse guiding them. Fletcher and the two doctors bowed at the sight then stood again.

'Princesses, sorry I'm a little late.' Fletcher said as he walked over. Celestia gave a small smile at the sight of him.

'Not at all, Michael. You're safe and sound now.' She turned her gaze to the two ponies before settling on Eagle Eye. His jaw was in the proper place, not the floor like Marion's was. 'I assume you are the doctor who worked on Michael?'

'Yes, your majesty.' Eagle Eye dipped his head. 'I was the one who performed most of the treatment and prescribed the correct aftercare.' Marion finally regained control of his jaw and clamped it shut again. A choked cry came from his throat.

'Y-you do know the princesses?' he squeaked. Fletcher nodded. 'I-I'm so sorry, Sir Fletcher. I didn't believe you at all.'

'Don't let it happen again.' Fletcher said. 'And thank you, Doctor Eagle Eye, for looking after me.'

'Not at all. Like I said, it was my pleasure to treat somepony who defends the princesses and the Elements of Harmony.' Celestia glanced at Fletcher before returning back to the unicorn.

'And I am grateful for it.' She walked a little closer. 'I don't suppose you might consider becoming a Royal Physician? From what little this nurse has told me, you are an excellent doctor and the Royal Court is in need of a new one. And considering the actions you have already performed to heal Michael, the Court would be better off with you there.' Now it was Eagle Eye's turn to lose control of his jaw.

'You want- Me be a- Royal-' He let out a small laugh of glee. 'Of course, your majesty. I would be honoured to become your doctor.'

'Then it is settled. I shall arrange for a chariot to pick you up from here within the next week,' She turned to her sister and Fletcher. 'Come, we must return to Canterlot.' Her face took on a dark look before resuming its normal smile. Both nodded and were soon seated in the Royal Chariot and headed back to Canterlot. Celestia sat close to Fletcher.

'What exactly happened at Coltsdale?'

'The cult was planning to misbehave in a big way and they had a hell of a bomb to misbehave with.' He shuddered a little at the memory. 'But don't worry, I took them all out. And did I miss anything whilst I was out of action?'

'Yes. Big Mac asked Twilight to marry him and she said yes.' Celestia broke out into a broad smile. 'She was so happy when she told all of us. Her parents couldn't have been more proud.'

'Good for her.' Fletcher said. 'Have they decided when they'll get married?'

'No.' Luna answered. 'But they say soon.' The rest of the trip was spent in silence as Fletcher found himself struggling to stay awake before succumbing to the sway of the chariot. Neither Alicorn mentioned it and allowed him to rest. He was jolted awake as the chariot touched down in the courtyard and was the first to step off, training kicking in as he scanned the area for threats but found none. The sisters led him into the throne room, the atmosphere growing tense.

'Michael, in a few days time the trial of Applejack's attacker will begin and she has asked for all of her friends to be there to support her.' Celestia told him as she sat down.

'Okay. Is everyone else going?' Celestia nodded. 'Then I'll be happy to go.'

'That is good to hear. Though you will be serving another purpose.'

'Which is?'

'You will serve as an intimidation factor. The unicorn has maintained an air of not caring about what he did, and throws most of what the investigators say back. But one mention of you, however, and his resolve breaks a little and he becomes more forthcoming with information. We want you to be at the trial and help make sure he answers the questions truthfully.' Fletcher grinned.

'My pleasure. I'll bring along my shotgun for that added fear factor.' Celestia nodded.

'But until then, please get some rest. I know that you have spent considerable time off during your hospital visit, but we would like you to be fully rested for the trial and for anything that may appear which threatens Luna or I.'

'Yes ma'am. Just send for a guard when you need me.' He bowed and left for his room. Those hospital beds didn't even compare to the one he had. He began to take is armour off when he reached his room and sank into the soft and warm covers, sighing at the comfort and was asleep thirty seconds after his head touched the pillow.

**And that concludes Resurrection. I may do a follow up or try my hand at something different. Thanks to the people who followed this story and commented, it helped keep me going. If you want to help me decide on what to do for my next fic, I will shortly post a poll with my thoughts for you to vote on. But hurry, it closes on the eight of May.**

**M306117**


End file.
